by Lucy Worsley
First published 2026
Lucy Worsley spent over twenty years as Chief Curator in Britain's most magnificent palaces. Now she invites readers inside these royal residences to meet the monarchs, courtiers, and servants who once called them home. Worsley guides us from Henry VIII's Council Chamber, where he chose to split from the Pope, to Queen Victoria's private wardrobe, from the Tower of London's ravens to lunch with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. She walks the same corridors and courtyards her historical subjects knew, uncovering fresh stories from overlooked corners of these grand buildings. Through kitchens and cloisters, she reveals moments of celebration and crisis alongside the schemes that flourished in royal shadows. This book delivers new perspectives on familiar figures by exploring the physical spaces where they lived and ruled.
Genres: biography, history, cultural-heritage, british-literature, architecture
Vibes: immersive, intimate, narrative-driven, scholarly-yet-accessible, thought-provoking
Tropes: behind-the-scenes-perspective, expert-guide, historical-narrative
Setting: Britain, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, British Palaces
Period: Tudor Period, 19th Century, 20th Century
388 pages · Hardcover · Hodder & Stoughton