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Tudor Saga #11

A Favorite of the Queen

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The Story of Lord Robert Dudley & Elizabeth I

There was only one thing which Robert Dudley could not do, and that was to make any woman cease to love him. Now that Elizabeth was Queen of England, the romance which began with their shared captivity in the grim Tower of London blossomed into a mutual longing. With the crown so nearly in his grasp, how could Robert let Amy Robsart, his sweet young wife, stand between him and the sons the Queen must bear?

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1955

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1527 people want to read

About the author

Jean Plaidy

187 books1,587 followers
Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.
-Wikipedia

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5 stars
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323 (34%)
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270 (29%)
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53 (5%)
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17 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
Profile Image for Joanne.
854 reviews94 followers
December 17, 2022
Well, believe it or not, I use to read all Jean Plaidy's books. Probably because they were not appropriate reading for a precocious pre-teen😂😂.

I picked this one up during my recent illness as the night stand was looking rather bare and I also needed something I did not have to concentrate it. Needless to say, the years have not been kind to books I liked once.

The beginning of the book got me hopeful, but as the book went on I kept laughing and saying "You use to love this stuff." I am happy that I have grown more particular about I what I read.
Profile Image for Dar B.
63 reviews8 followers
October 3, 2011
This enjoyable work is about Robert Dudley and the love shared between him and Queen Elizabeth I. Dudley descended from a family of ambitious men, and their ambition had been their undoing. However, Robert found himself attracted to the Queen of England, for ambition's sake but also for the passion she felt towards him.

This story is Jean Plaidy's look at the life of Dudley, through the scandal of the death of his wife Amy Robsart, which has left historians puzzling over the cause. Her detailed and tedious research brought her to the conclusions that she has set forth in this novel. She covers all bases including Robert's involvement with Douglass Sheffield and his secret marriage to Lettice Knolleys, all the while trying to maintain his place in the heart of the Queen, as well as his position at court.

Plaidy is a master historical novelist and tells this story by switching between the views of many; Robert, Elizabeth, her handmaid Kat, a young boy who evoked their mutual love in the Tower, even Amy and her maid Pinto! I believe that this is one of Jean's better written novels.
Profile Image for Kelly.
264 reviews1 follower
April 20, 2025
A second read of this book. It was narcissistic at the start: Robert was very vain. I did enjoy it though. Love Elizabeth.
Profile Image for Melinda.
650 reviews11 followers
June 2, 2016
I love Jean Plaidy books. I had this sitting on my shelf for a couple years, thinking that I had already read it...turns out I hadn't read it at all! So I eagerly picked it up and started reading.

The beginning is interesting, where it starts off with John Dudley witnessing the beheading of his father Edmund Dudley, at the start of Henry VIII's reign. So you get some back story about the Dudley family and what prompted the ambitions of the family for several generations.

Eventually the story moves on to Robert and his story revolving Elizabeth and the other ladies in his life. For the most part, the story moves between Robert, Elizabeth and Amy. There were a few things that I did not like. First, Elizabeth has BROWN eyes! Second, is it necessary to portray Amy like a child/puppy with no ideas of her own? Third, it just barely skims the surface of Robert's other relationships later on in his life. Fourth, the story was so slow in moving that it bordered line was boring. Definitely not filled with passions and thrills unlike other books written about Robert and Elizabeth. You have two very passionate real life people, it doesn't take much to write them together (after all it was reality, parts of it at least).

I did appreciate parts of the story told through Pinto's view, as she would hold a much different view of Robert and Amy due to her status in the household.

But this is definitely not one of the better stories about Robert and Elizabeth that is out there. Even Phillippa Gregory's story was much more interesting and less whiny.
Profile Image for Helene Harrison.
Author 3 books79 followers
September 30, 2017
Review - I really enjoyed this take on the life of Robert Dudley, and his relationship with Elizabeth I. You can tell that Jean Plaidy really did her research, reading available sources, including the Tilbury speech which is quoted in full. It is also interesting to see Plaidy's take on the death of Amy Robsart and the secret marriage of Robert Dudley and Lettice Knollys, as well as Robert's relationship with Elizabeth I over her other suitors. Definitely worth a read.

Genre? - Historical

Characters? - Robert Dudley / Elizabeth I / Amy Robsart / Lettice Knollys / William Cecil / Douglass Sheffield / Christopher Hatton / Francis Walsingham

Setting? - London & Kenilworth (England)

Series? - Tudor #10

Recommend? – Yes

Rating - 17/20
Profile Image for Ashley Dean.
232 reviews
August 25, 2018
The book seemed to fly by historically and didn't really delve into the actual romance as deeply I believe it could have. It was nice to get a general overview and learn a side of the characters' story, but some actions also didn't make sense. It was hard to understand WHY Elizabeth never married Robert, and I wish this book had created some form of clarification. Even one just for the fictional side of this historical fiction since in real life we will never know. There was just something unsettling as I read, and I found myself moreso wanting to read the book to end it rather than read for enjoyment. Nonetheless, I am happy I took the time to do so. This time period fascinates me and I never really looked into this relationship before.
Profile Image for Amanda.
Author 14 books16 followers
March 18, 2018
Loved getting to ready Jean Plaidy's book about Queen Elizabeth I and her love Robert Dudley. I really enjoyed Jean's books about Queen Victoria and really loved this one as I was always fascinated by England's queens. Great how this told both Elizabeth's and Robert's histories and switching with their point of views and telling their love story.
78 reviews
September 20, 2025
This book is about Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Queen Elizabeth Tudor’s favourite and long-time attachment. They had known each other since childhood, back when Princess Elizabeth lived under the shadow of illegitimacy. Then came a romantic infatuation in their youth, when both were out of favour under Queen Mary I and held in the Tower awaiting their fate — romance spiced with danger and drama.

There was flirting and passion once the young queen ascended the throne. Added to this came mutual trust, the habit of consulting one another on all matters, and at the same time a struggle of ambitions and the urge to dominate. Jealousy and fury when Elizabeth was torn between her personal feelings and the need to restrain herself to preserve her high position. Jealousy, vindictiveness, anger and helplessness at being unable to change anything. Inevitable regrets when both were no longer young and harboured no illusions.

Their complex, many-years-long relationship is a layered cocktail of feelings, emotions, passions and ambitions. The author takes us step by step through every twist of this love story, describing the historical context along the way — Catholic plots, the hard decision over Mary Stuart, the confrontation with Spain, the attack of the Armada, meddling in the Netherlands, and the wooing of foreign suitors. The broad outline of events in Victoria Holt’s book is always correct. But if the era’s context is already familiar, there’s nothing new here. It’s straightforward popular fiction, without depth or originality.

The mysterious death of Amy Robsart is portrayed as a crime fully engineered by Robert Dudley, and not news to Elizabeth. Dudley himself appears as a man of extraordinary charm, handsome, gallant, polished — simply irresistible to women. No one could withstand him — neither a simple girl nor a queen. His actual political activity is scarcely mentioned. Elizabeth is shown more as a woman — capricious, often hysterical, sharp-tongued — than as a queen and ruler.

The author’s style alternates between lively, witty dialogue and a dogged effort to chew over and explain what’s happening, clarify the hero’s motivation, and recount the external circumstances. It sounds like a voice-over. There’s no vivid description, no sense of “being there,” no atmosphere of the age. So I wouldn’t call the narrative smooth — it’s rather plain, not particularly rich or saturated.
Profile Image for Alice.
289 reviews2 followers
August 8, 2022
A Favorite of the Queen chronicles the rise and fall of various members of two noble families: those of the Tudors and the Dudleys. While the relationship between Elizabeth and Robert marks the age, it's one that is full of tension. Will she cave and marry him? Will his ambitions ever be quenched, both for himself and his descendants? Plaidy presents this emotional and dramatic pair to readers as the quintessential 'will-they-won't-they' that makes readers sympathize for both parties, even when they're in the wrong.

At first, this book seems like it will only focus on the Dudleys, as it opens on Robert's nine year old father having witnessed his own father's execution. The family is at its lowest point, but the members steadily rise only to end in obscurity as member after member drops dead. Robert manages to avoid this fate for a long time, first by marrying the wholesome country girl, Amy Robsart. As a result of this, his younger brother Guildford is married to the ill-fated Jane Grey. When Mary Tudor takes the throne, she eventually has Guildford and Jane executed, along with Robert's father and older brother. He alone, manages to survive in the Tower.

However, it is in the Tower when he begins to foster a liaison with Elizabeth Tudor, who has also recently been imprisoned. A legendary romance is born. When both are free and Elizabeth becomes queen, Robert is one of the first to give her the news, and she bestows on him the title of her Master of Horse. After this, the two become inseparable, so much so, that most people at court suspect that they are sleeping together. Robert is certainly convinced that Elizabeth is on the verge of marrying him, and he desires nothing more than to be king, if only he can get rid of that country wife of his.

I thought more of the book would focus on Amy's death, but it really doesn't. Plaidy spends some time in Amy's head, but the girl is so simple that her thoughts aren't varied. Most of the time, Plaidy focuses on Amy's maidservant who, weirdly, both desires and is disgusted by Robert. She alone realizes how dangerous Amy's position is, and eventually Amy realizes it too, but too late. The book definitely portrays this 'accident' as a murder, and while the even itself only takes place at the midpoint, it constantly crops up again and again, making it clear that, if Elizabeth had married Robert, the scandal would have followed them to the end of their days.

Even when Plaidy switches away from Robert to focus on Amy, Elizabeth, or the various servants, Robert is always at the center. In general, I find that Plaidy's 3rd person novels aren't as strong as her 1st person ones, but this one is stellar. As a reader, you really feel the love Elizabeth and Robert feel for each other, but they each have conflicting desires that prevent them from actually marrying. Elizabeth is too ambitious, and she is determined to keep the throne for herself. Meanwhile, as much as Robert loves Elizabeth, he wants children of his own and to be recognized for his own talents, perfectly understandable for a man in such an era.

Throughout their lives, Robert pushes the envelope and gambles with Elizabeth's affection. He has numerous affairs with her ladies-in-waiting, none more notorious than secretly marrying Lettice Knolleys, Elizabeth's cousin who just so happens to have a similar shade of red hair. He corresponds with important members of the Scottish court in an attempt to make a marriage alliance between the Stuarts and his own children. He recklessly accepts the Dutch governorship, despite not having any formal military experience. He goes into outrageous debt to entertain Elizabeth at Kenilworth. Yet, time and again, Elizabeth forgives him, though sometimes it takes longer to obtain than other times. Robert deftly prioritizes his relationship with her over any ambition, in order to get himself out of these scrapes.

Historians say that these two had a special relationship even 'after all romance had ended'. I beg to differ. I don't think the two ever stopped loving each other. If they had been anyone else, I think they would've been very happy together. As it were, their love is eternal in a way that isn't completed. The book is full of unfulfilled yearning, while brimming with complex characters of competing motivations against a fascinating historical backdrop. It's such a worthwhile read, and there's really nothing I can say against it. It has everything. A Favorite of the Queen is a favorite with me!
279 reviews
May 31, 2021
I've read several books by Jean Plaidy over the years and always enjoyed them immensely. Lord Robert is not one of those books. The whole story seemed like a frivolous exercise in self-indulgence. Both Elizabeth and Robert Dudley come across as conceited and annoying. Poor Amy Robsart is made to look like a simpering fool and even some of the queen's most respected courtiers, like Cecil and Walsingham, seem to be just there to pander to her flirt with her and assure her of their love and loyalty.

I have always had the impression that, historically, Elizabeth Tudor was a strong and capable ruler. She is not portrayed in this way in this book - except on very rare occasions. I also felt that events of major importance, like the Babington plot, her uneasy relationship with Mary Queen of Scots, and the defeat of the Spanish Armada, are just glossed over as if they were merely inconveniences rather than incidents that changed the course of English history.
Profile Image for Cathy Baldwin.
52 reviews1 follower
February 21, 2022
This writing style is quite dated now but I love this period in history so I didn’t mind too much.

This is an excuse for writing about Elizabeth 1 from a different angle, and it’s over-long really. I think much more could have been made of Leicester’s journey and emotions, if it was truly to fulfil the expectations set by the title.

I’m happy to have read it but I wouldn’t put it top of anyone’s wish list. Not to be confused with true history, although the reasoning added at the end for the treatment of Amy Robsart was perfectly plausible.
6 reviews
October 19, 2022
This book is an elegantly written romance about Elizabeth the First and Robert Dudley, the one man she truly loved. Ms Plaidy takes them from early youth to middle age, and includes the scandal that nearly destroyed the Queen's reputation permanently. Unlike many more contemporary books about Elizabeth, this novel does not include sex- Elizabeth remains "The Virgin Queen." However, if you enjoy a more traditional rendering of her story, you will definitely enjoy this book.
Profile Image for Victoria Frow.
632 reviews
June 17, 2017
Very good. The characters were well developed and were brought back to life through this story. Jean Plaidy is always a favourite of mine as you can tell she has researched the era well as you feel like you are within the settings and with the characters as they are so rich in detail but that it doesn't overwhelm you.
16 reviews
September 9, 2017
Jean Plaidy is famous for her thorough research and fascinating writing. What she is not famous for is getting me hooked on the life of Elizabeth Tudor over forty years ago. I've read fiction and nonfiction on the subject. This book is one of my favorite fictional accounts. Thank you Ms. Plaidy!
Profile Image for pauline high.
69 reviews2 followers
December 28, 2019
Really enjoy Jean Plaidys historical novels. This is a great tale of the enduring love between Queen Elizabeth 1 and Lord Robert Dudley. The story starts from the Tower of London where the passionate affair begins up until Lord Dudley's death. Robert already married is desperate to marry the Queen but she keeps him guessing. Even after his wifes suspicious death, a fall down a flight of stairs, the marriage is now a non starter with scandal in the air. Great depth of characterisation of both and where you can feel the passion and despair of this ill fated romance set to destroy them both.
Profile Image for Janet Wertman.
Author 6 books119 followers
December 16, 2024
It is fascinating to see the changes in book “rules” over the years. Lotsa head hopping. Also, lotsa inaccuracies. And yet, some great scenes that remind the reader that Plaidy had an alter ego in Victoria Holt!
Profile Image for Christine Cazeneuve.
1,462 reviews40 followers
December 2, 2018
I enjoyed the book but I will admit I am not a huge fan of Queen Elizabeth I in regards to her love life. As all Jean Plaidy books it is well written and keeps you engrossed from start to finish.
296 reviews31 followers
July 5, 2019
I really didn't like this story, although I still really enjoy Jean Plaidy's writing.
Profile Image for Zoë.
225 reviews1 follower
September 22, 2020
5* writing but I increasingly find Elizabeth 1st and Robert dudley to be irritating!
Profile Image for Christie Moore.
Author 12 books
October 3, 2020
Jean Plaidy never disappoints and this book is no exception. I was gripped all the way through. The story of Robert Dudley, the Queen's favourite, somehow managing to get through scandal.
39 reviews
June 29, 2022
Elizabeth and Lord Dudley

This was very good. I love Jean Plaidy she writes with such passion and a great deal of knowledge of the period. I highly recommend this book to any one who is a fan of Elizabeth I.
324 reviews
February 3, 2023
I usually love Jean Plaidy’s historical novels but this one dragged a lot. The start was interestin* about Robert Dudley’s childhood but his relationship with Elizabeth became repetitive and dull
Profile Image for Phil Syphe.
Author 8 books16 followers
May 5, 2020
“A Favourite of the Queen” proved rather a tedious experience, and perhaps the worst novel I’ve read about Elizabeth I.

Too much “telling”, not “showing”, is the biggest problem. Don’t explain what characters are like; show it via action and dialogue.

The narrative is slow moving, partly because of the lack of action, and partly because of the consistent use of the passive voice. It’s dry information that we get, rather than a lively story.

Something about Jean Plaidy’s books keep me coming back for more. Perhaps it’s her obvious love for English history, which I share, that draws me back. I wish she’d focused less on turning out as greater quantity of novels as possible and concentrated more on quality writing. A novel like this one should be revised about 20 times, yet this at best feels like a fifth draft. If she'd redrafted it more there wouldn't be such notable repetition of certain themes.
Profile Image for Keg Good.
301 reviews3 followers
December 10, 2022
I am relieved to have finished this.

I inherited many Jean Plaidy/Victoria Holt books and I needed to read a royal book for a reading challenge. Of my personal colection of 100's of royal books, I chose this one and it was a challenge. I could not stay awake, sometimes falling asleep in the middle of a sentence. Eventually I set a goal of 20 pages a day. Most days I couldn't meet it. This morning I had 5 pages to go. It took hours but I did get many little naps.

I'm glad I finished it. I will keep it only to compare and contrast as I read other royal books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews

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