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In Bed with the Queen
Anna Whitelock

Queen Elizabeth

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Wheelchair accessible.

Event details

Elizabeth I acceded to the throne in 1558. At the heart of the new queen’s court lay Elizabeth’s bedchamber, closely guarded by the favoured women who helped her dress, looked after her jewels and shared her bed. The Queen's bedchamber was once a private and a public space and it was her Ladies of the Bedchamber who were guardians of the truth as to the Queen's and thus the nation's well-being. Their presence was for security as well as propriety. This lecture explores the politics of intimacy, sexual slander, conspiracy and suspicion which centred on the Queen's body and her bedchamber.

Speaker biography

Dr Anna Whitelock is a historian, author and broadcaster. She is a Reader in Early Modern History and is Director of the Centre for Public History, Heritage and Engagement with the Past at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Anna is a regular media commentator on the Tudors, the monarchy, royal bodies, royal succession, gender and politics as well as on public history and heritage.

Anna regularly appears on news, current affairs and events broadcasts on television and radio as a royal expert, historical consultant and commentator.

Follow Anna Whitelock on Twitter.

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