Suzannah Lipscomb and Kate Williams To Bring TO KILL A QUEEN To Cheltenham’s Town Hall

Questioning centuries of accepted historical interpretation, To Kill A Queen argues that Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots, have too often been cast as personal enemies, with the immense political pressures on both women largely ignored by generations of male historians.

For more than 400 years, history has cast Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I as bitter rivals. But what if we've got their story wrong? Acclaimed historians and broadcasters Professor Suzannah Lipscomb (Not Just the Tudors podcast) and Professor Kate Williams (CNN's royal historian and a familiar face across BBC, ITV and Channel 5) invite audiences to reconsider one of British history's most famous royal tragedies in In To Kill A Queen coming to Cheltenham on 19th September 2026.

Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I were cousins, rival queens and two of the most powerful women of the 16th century. After years of political unrest, religious division and assassination plots, Mary was imprisoned by Elizabeth for almost two decades before being executed in 1587 for her alleged involvement in a conspiracy to kill the English queen. To Kill A Queen revisits the extraordinary chain of events that led to one of British history's most infamous royal executions.

Part lecture, part theatrical storytelling, To Kill A Queen sees Lipscomb and Williams work backwards from the fall of the axe at Fotheringhay Castle and unravel the political intrigue, espionage, betrayal and impossible decisions that culminated in Elizabeth I signing her cousin's death warrant. Through vivid storytelling and the latest historical research, they explore one of the Tudor period's most dramatic episodes, from William Cecil's secret spy networks and coded letters to the infamous Babington Plot.

To Kill A Queen challenges centuries of historical interpretation, arguing that generations of male historians have framed Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots as personal enemies while overlooking the extraordinary political pressures each faced. Instead, Lipscomb and Williams reframe the queens' decisions as acts of courage, survival and leadership in a world dominated by men, asking how history remembers powerful women and whether centuries of storytelling have distorted one of Britain's most famous royal relationships.

Renowned for its rich cultural heritage and its celebration of literature, history and ideas, Cheltenham provides a fitting setting for an evening that brings fresh perspective to one of British history's most enduring royal stories.

On bringing the show to Cheltenham, Suzannah says: 'Cheltenham is a cultural and literary hotspot. We're excited about the calibre of the questions that the audience will bring.' While Kate added: 'I love Cheltenham and have spoken there a few times. It would have been Mary's dream to visit the bustling, social, beautiful town of Cheltenham - although the spa waters were not discovered until long after her death. She did go to Buxton and took the waters, we believe, and loved it. '

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