Exile: The Captive Years of Mary, Queen of Scots

by Rosemary Goring

Captive for nearly half her life in England, Mary Queen of Scots endured treachery, deceit, and plotting.

Discover a thrilling true story of treachery, deceit, hope and despair.

From the moment Mary, Queen of Scots set foot on English soil in 1568 until her execution at Fotheringhay Castle on 8 February 1587, she was the prisoner of her cousin, Elizabeth I. Unlike Mary’s time on the Scottish throne, the dramatic events of these years – almost half her life – took place while she was a captive. But while trouble was perpetually simmering beyond her prison walls, within them Mary was constantly plotting. Only towards the end did she lose faith in returning to her homeland as rightful ruler.

This is the story of Mary’s tumultuous later years, told through the many atmospheric locations where she was confined. Drawing on the latest research, including a treasure trove of recently decoded letters, Exile sheds fascinating new light on her captivity and the charged political climate of the period. Reading like a 16th-century thriller, this account of treachery, deceit, hope and despair is a penetrating and enthralling psychological portrait of one of history’s endlessly fascinating queens.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography

368 pages, Paperback

Published September 17, 2026

About the author

Rosemary Goring was born in Dunbar and studied at the University of St Andrews. After graduation, she worked at W&R Chambers as a reference editor before becoming literary editor of Scotland on Sunday. She is currently literary editor and columnist for The Herald.

Reviews

[Melany Scheffer]

Primer libro non-fiction que logro terminar. No practico catolicismo pero, si lo hiciera, esta noche rezaría por Mary, Queen of Scots. Ojalá hoy tu alma descanse en paz reina ❤️‍🩹

[Macy Mckay]

Generally that part of her life of her life that Mary Stuart spent in captivity is completely overlooked. Despite it being half of her entire adult life. The narrative goes "Mary ran away with Bothwell, then got her head cut off". Yet the years between fleeding to England from Scottish rebels and being beheaded in Fotheringay are crucial in understanding why Mary was (eventually and not inevitably) beheaded.
For some reason Ms Goring builds the story around her personal travels to the various locations Mary was held prisoner. Whilst the juxtasposition between our tudor past and modernday is interesting, I could have done without quite so much detail around her travels to the places and difficulties in traversing fences!

[Jonathan Rogers]

wow, just wow, Rosemary Goring has to be my most favourite author ever. just finished this book and I am gutted that it came to an end. I just couldn't put it down. my normal reading speed of 30 pages a day was doubled and more. she wrote this so well, so informative.

I learnt so much from this, even the detail she writes when visiting the places where Mary was held during her captivity is enlightening...

absolutely loved every page and will seek out more from this author

[Louise]

I really enjoyed reading this retelling of Mary's capture and imprisonment. The insights gained from the letters really add to Mary's story and character. I found the reference to the modern day useful but also found that they put somewhat of a halt to the storytelling.

[Catriona MacNicol]

Rosemary Goring's work on Mary, Queen of Scots continues with her 'English' years.
Deeply detailed and poignant this book provides the story of how Mary was treated for 19 years, basically as a prisoner of Elizabeth I.

[Jue]

DNF this book was not for me .

[Barbara Henderson]

I really enjoyed this. It was readable and engaging. As a self-confessed MQS nerd, I still learned a lot I didn't know. Thank you.

[Fi]

Interesting and easy to read, gives a great perspective that is often overlooked.

[Victoria]

19yrs captivity often skipped past in other books, great detail here + loved authors personal comments on travelling to sites mentioned. Well researched. I've ordered homecoming.

[Karolina:P]

3.5