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Queens and Kings: A Personal History of the Monarchy
A colorful journey through some of the most significant moments in British history, as seen through Lucy Worsley’s life and adventures as Chief Curator for Historic Royal Palaces.
No one has lived and breathed the monarchy quite like Lucy Worsley. For over twenty years, she worked as Chief Curator in some of Britain's most splendid palaces—and now she is ready to throw open the doors and welcome us in.
In Queens and Kings, Lucy takes us on a journey through some of our most turbulent and significant moments in history. From the Council Chamber in which Henry VIII decided to break from the pope to lunch with the late Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, from encounters with the Tower of London's Ravenmaster to the depths of Queen Victoria's wardrobe, Lucy shares how she grew to know the queens and kings, courtiers and servants who lived in these buildings over the centuries.
She traces their footsteps through the corridors and cloisters, the courtyards and kitchens and breathes new life into moments of great joy and consequence‚ as well as tales of intrigue which lurked in the shadows of regal splendor. Packed with new stories told from unexplored places, this is a fresh history of the monarchy.
No one has lived and breathed the monarchy quite like Lucy Worsley. For over twenty years, she worked as Chief Curator in some of Britain's most splendid palaces—and now she is ready to throw open the doors and welcome us in.
In Queens and Kings, Lucy takes us on a journey through some of our most turbulent and significant moments in history. From the Council Chamber in which Henry VIII decided to break from the pope to lunch with the late Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, from encounters with the Tower of London's Ravenmaster to the depths of Queen Victoria's wardrobe, Lucy shares how she grew to know the queens and kings, courtiers and servants who lived in these buildings over the centuries.
She traces their footsteps through the corridors and cloisters, the courtyards and kitchens and breathes new life into moments of great joy and consequence‚ as well as tales of intrigue which lurked in the shadows of regal splendor. Packed with new stories told from unexplored places, this is a fresh history of the monarchy.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 3, 2026
About the author
Lucy Worsley
32 books3,086 followersI was born in Reading (not great, but it could have been Slough), studied Ancient and Modern History at New College, Oxford, and I've got a PhD in art history from the University of Sussex.
My first job after leaving college was at a crazy but wonderful historic house called Milton Manor in Oxfordshire. Here I would give guided tours, occasionally feed the llamas, and look for important pieces of paper that my boss Anthony had lost. Soon after that I moved to the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, in the lovely job for administrator of the Wind and Watermills Section. Here I helped to organise that celebrated media extravaganza, National Mills Day. I departed for English Heritage in 1997, first as an Assistant Inspector and then as an Inspector of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings; Bolsover Castle, Hardwick Old Hall, and Kirby Hall were my favourite properties there. In 2002 I made a brief excursion to Glasgow Museums before coming down to London as Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces in 2003. Yes, this is a brilliant job, but no, you can’t have it. (Bribes have been offered, and refused.)
You might also catch me presenting history films on the old goggle box, giving the talks on the cruise ship Queen Mary 2, or slurping cocktails.
***
Lucy Worsley, OBE (born 18 December 1973) is an English historian, author, curator, and television presenter.
Worsley is Joint Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces but is best known as a presenter of BBC Television series on historical topics, including Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency (2011), Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls (2012), The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain (2014), A Very British Romance (2015), Lucy Worsley: Mozart’s London Odyssey (2016), and Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016).
-From Wikipedia
My first job after leaving college was at a crazy but wonderful historic house called Milton Manor in Oxfordshire. Here I would give guided tours, occasionally feed the llamas, and look for important pieces of paper that my boss Anthony had lost. Soon after that I moved to the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, in the lovely job for administrator of the Wind and Watermills Section. Here I helped to organise that celebrated media extravaganza, National Mills Day. I departed for English Heritage in 1997, first as an Assistant Inspector and then as an Inspector of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings; Bolsover Castle, Hardwick Old Hall, and Kirby Hall were my favourite properties there. In 2002 I made a brief excursion to Glasgow Museums before coming down to London as Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces in 2003. Yes, this is a brilliant job, but no, you can’t have it. (Bribes have been offered, and refused.)
You might also catch me presenting history films on the old goggle box, giving the talks on the cruise ship Queen Mary 2, or slurping cocktails.
***
Lucy Worsley, OBE (born 18 December 1973) is an English historian, author, curator, and television presenter.
Worsley is Joint Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces but is best known as a presenter of BBC Television series on historical topics, including Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency (2011), Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls (2012), The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain (2014), A Very British Romance (2015), Lucy Worsley: Mozart’s London Odyssey (2016), and Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016).
-From Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 6, 2026
An excellent primer on British royalty from Henry VIII onwards, as seen from the perspective of Lucy Worsley in her curatorial role.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Well, this was delightful. For those of you unfamiliar with Lucy Worsley, I don't know how. The woman is everywhere. In print, streaming, and in your social media. I think the best way to describe her is that she constantly looks like she is having the BEST time. Now, she is doing it in book form with Queens and Kings.
To keep it short (for me anyway), Worsley was a super important (not according to her) curator and got to spend time where many famous Britons called home. What she covers in this book is basically short rundowns of various queens and kings with a bit of a contrarian air. It's the fun kind of contrarian, not the smug kind. For instance, Mary I? Wasn't as bad as her reputation. Queen Anne? How happy would you be after 17 pregnancies? Sprinkled throughout are short anecdotes about Worsley's own career that range from insightful to utterly hilarious. I shall not forget the image of Worsley having to army-crawl under a window so as not to spoil the view.
This book will work best for those not steeped in British history especially from the Tudors onward. Worsley is having fun (like I keep saying) and is not trying to write dissertations or extended think-pieces on each monarch. This is more of a high-level overview to stimulate some new perspectives and entice non-history readers to look a little deeper.
(This book was provided as a review copy by Pegasus Books.)
To keep it short (for me anyway), Worsley was a super important (not according to her) curator and got to spend time where many famous Britons called home. What she covers in this book is basically short rundowns of various queens and kings with a bit of a contrarian air. It's the fun kind of contrarian, not the smug kind. For instance, Mary I? Wasn't as bad as her reputation. Queen Anne? How happy would you be after 17 pregnancies? Sprinkled throughout are short anecdotes about Worsley's own career that range from insightful to utterly hilarious. I shall not forget the image of Worsley having to army-crawl under a window so as not to spoil the view.
This book will work best for those not steeped in British history especially from the Tudors onward. Worsley is having fun (like I keep saying) and is not trying to write dissertations or extended think-pieces on each monarch. This is more of a high-level overview to stimulate some new perspectives and entice non-history readers to look a little deeper.
(This book was provided as a review copy by Pegasus Books.)
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
The delightful Lucy Worsley does it again! Her latest book, Queens and Kings: An Unusually Personal History, offers history lovers a high-level history of British monarchs from the Tudor period to modern day with a certain focus. As the former Curator of Historic Royal Palaces, Worsley is intimately familiar with the palaces so many moarchs lived in and offers us specific stories of their lives in connection to the physical locations we migh still know today: Kennsinton Palace, the Tower of London, Kew Gardens, and my personal favorite Hampton Court Palace.
She also shares stories from her own time as curator and filming numerous documentaries connected to the palaces she knows and loves with her trademark sense of humor. From living and working at Hapton Court Palace to army crawling across lawns to preserve the view for important visitors; finding and interpreting blueprints of pre-renovation rooms to see what might actually have happened; reinterpreting the story of George III and more.
Queens and Kings is an excellent addition to any history lover's collection-fun to read, and definitely a book that will encourage those who don't know Lucy Worsley and Britich history to take a deeper dive!
I received an ARC of this book from Eidelweiss in exchange for an honest review
She also shares stories from her own time as curator and filming numerous documentaries connected to the palaces she knows and loves with her trademark sense of humor. From living and working at Hapton Court Palace to army crawling across lawns to preserve the view for important visitors; finding and interpreting blueprints of pre-renovation rooms to see what might actually have happened; reinterpreting the story of George III and more.
Queens and Kings is an excellent addition to any history lover's collection-fun to read, and definitely a book that will encourage those who don't know Lucy Worsley and Britich history to take a deeper dive!
I received an ARC of this book from Eidelweiss in exchange for an honest review
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Lucy Worsley does it again — this was such a fabulous read and I enjoyed it so much. Lucy takes us through the Queens and Kings, from the Tudors to the late Queen Elizabeth II. I always have trouble with the Hanover family tree in particular and all the gazillion Georges, but this was so expertly laid out that I had no trouble following at all. I highlighted a bunch of things but unfortunately my iPad deleted all of my annotations 😭 still, an excellent read by an incomparable historian and writer, and I loved every minute of it. Thanks for the DRC!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Ah but if these walls could talk... and finally, they do. Queens and Kings tell us a history of the British Monarchy from inside the very walls of it all - from a vantage point of having actually lived in a palace.
Lucy Worsley tells history in a warm, engaging and light-hearted way. Her lifetime of experience has been expertly crafted into the pages of one incredible book. It is incredibly engaging, in fact, and peppered with anecdotes from Lucy's own career, it is somewhat unique in telling History through a very different perspective.
Lucy Worsley tells history in a warm, engaging and light-hearted way. Her lifetime of experience has been expertly crafted into the pages of one incredible book. It is incredibly engaging, in fact, and peppered with anecdotes from Lucy's own career, it is somewhat unique in telling History through a very different perspective.
September 6, 2026
Excellent book marrying history with the authors own experiences as Chief Curator of Historic Palaces.
September 6, 2026
What a fun and informative read!
September 7, 2026
Lucy has a wonderful chatty way of making history easy and interesting. A great read
September 7, 2026
Charming history lesson
I have watched Lucy on many PBS specials, and her writing is just as enjoyable. Even for a certificate holding history teacher, I learned quite a bit. .
I have watched Lucy on many PBS specials, and her writing is just as enjoyable. Even for a certificate holding history teacher, I learned quite a bit. .
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews