The Stolen Crown: Treachery, Deceit and the Death of the Tudor Dynasty – Tracy Borman

20 October, 2025 at 6:00 pm

March 1603. Queen Elizabeth I lies dying at Richmond Palace. Her ministers cluster round her bedside, urging her to name her successor – something she has stubbornly resisted throughout her reign. Almost with her last breath she whispers that James VI of Scotland should succeed her. She dies and the throne of England passes peacefully from Tudor to Stuart. Or so we’ve been led to believe . . .With rigorous research and brilliant storytelling, Tracy Borman reveals how history was re-written on the orders of James VI to hide the truth: Elizabeth went to her grave without formally naming an heir. James’s rule in England began with a lie. The Stuart regime rapidly descended into turbulence and conspiracy, witchcraft and gunpowder – culminating in the destruction of the monarchy in the English Civil War.

Tracy Borman OBE is an author, broadcaster and historian. Her books include Elizabeth’s Women and The Private Lives of the Tudors. 

“A powerful tale . . . compelling and brilliant” Alison Weir