Albany had married his cousin, Anne de La Tour d’Auvergne, and taken the younger Madeleine in as a ward after the death of her parents. Close to both cousins, Albany had loved Anne deeply, an unusual attachment in this age of arranged marriages. They had no surviving children, all three of their babies having died in early childhood. When Anne died in 1524, five years after Madeleine, she bequeathed her landholdings to her niece Caterina, making her the sole heir of the Auvergne fortune.14 Albany hadn’t met Caterina before he appeared at the Strozzi villa in 1525. Did he detect any traces of his beloved wife or her sister in the young girl’s face?*

Chang has provided a remarkable account of women’s place in power and their struggles and challenges. Each of these women experienced distinctly unique problems, while also undergoing familiar prejudices that still exist. Young Queens is a fascinating read for history lovers as well as those who enjoy political and courtly intrigue." — David Arndt, The Free Lance-Star Bauer Consumer Media Ltd, Company number 01176085; Bauer Radio Limited, Company number: 1394141; Registered office: Media House, Peterborough Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA and H Bauer Publishing, Company number: LP003328; Registered office: The Lantern, 75 Hampstead Road, London NW1 2PL Imagine being 25 years old and 5,000 miles from home when you get a call delivering the worst possible news – your parent has died. For Elizabeth Windsor, this call had a far greater impact. She was now taking on the greatest of responsibilities, shouldering the burden of the sovereign’s role. February 6, 1952 was the day that changed Queen Elizabeth’s life forever: her father, King George VI, suddenly died at their Norfolk home of Sandringham. With his passing came a transfer of power to his daughter. She was only 25 years old.Well-written, detailed . . . [ Young Queens] brings these women to life with insight and empathy, skillfully revealing ‘patterns about women and power’ . . . By centering these queens’ reigns and their relationships with one another, Chang gives readers new insight into their lives and legacies." — Rebecca Hopman, Booklist The Queen has had a long-standing relationship with the Armed Forces, both in the UK and in the Commonwealth. As it turned out, death came for the pope first. Leo X expired suddenly on December 1, 1521, just weeks after endorsing Charles V’s claim to Milan. The new pope, Hadrian VI, was a Dutchman with no interest in Medici affairs or their infant children. Slipping the Ring of the Fisherman on his finger, Hadrian left Catherine nestled in the bosom of the Strozzi household. For a brief but blissful few years, she was mostly forgotten. R.F. Kuang, Sue Lynn Tan, Rebecca Ross, Kate Heartfield, N.E. Davenport, Saara El-Arifi, Juno Dawson and Sunyi Dean

Elisabeth de Valois’ story begins in France, where she is born the beloved daughter of a king. It ends tragically in Spain as a cherished queen consort and mother – one who must make the ultimate sacrifice for her kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II takes the salute of the Household Guards regiments during the Trooping of the Colour ceremony in London in 1985. Credit: PA

The Queen’s reign has not been without tragedy, most recently the death of her husband of 73 years Prince Philip in 2021. However, one of the most tragic losses the Queen, the royal family and the country had to endure was the death of Princess Diana in 1997. Men’s fertility also declines with age — here’s what to know if you’re planning to wait to have kids Princess Elizabeth - daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York - waves from the carriage in 1928. Credit: PA Women could face opposition as monarchs due to their gender. In 1558, the same year as Elizabeth I’s accession, the Scottish religious reformer John Knox published The First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women, which derided female rule as “unnatural” and ineffective. Having ascended to the throne at the tender age of 25 after the passing of her father, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II was the longest reigning monarch in British history.

Queen Elizabeth II, Duke of Edinburgh and other members of the royal family wave after the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Credit: PA Catherine de’ Medici’s story begins in a convent stormed by soldiers intent on seizing the key to power in Florence – Catherine herself, a girl barely 11 years old. It ends with her as the controversial queen mother of France, a woman both revered and reviled. Elena Woodacre does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Partners Elisabeth de Valois' story begins in France, where she is born the beloved daughter of a king. It ends tragically in Spain as a cherished queen consort and mother – one who must make the ultimate sacrifice for her kingdom. When did the child Caterina learn of this exalted inheritance? What did she ask about her mother? An Italian diplomat once gushed that Madeleine was “beautiful and wise … gracious and very worthy,” words that extol and yet say very little.11 No doubt the young Caterina learned of Madeleine’s wealth, of her vast, rolling estates in Auvergne. Perhaps she saw a portrait. As with so much of Madeleine’s life, we can’t be sure of what she looked like. One painting now hanging in the Uffizi is sometimes said to be of Madeleine. A slim girl, straight and stylish in her dark velvet bodice and opulent red sleeves, looks out from under a French hood. Her hair is auburn and her cheeks round. Her eyes are blue.In a way, Catherine de’ Medici’s story begins not at her birth but rather on those waters, under those Mediterranean skies, the sails of her ship whipping against a late summer breeze. This was the moment of her crossing from Italy to France, from maiden to bride, from the Medici family to a royal French one, from girlhood to young womanhood. Already, she had assumed a new importance as those who observed the pendulum of Renaissance politics now took note of her, measuring her looks, her bearing, her potential to give birth; from this moment forward, the traces of Catherine will appear more prominently in the archives. At fourteen, she was barely in her teens, ignorant of what the coming years would bring. And yet, to the sixteenth-century world, this part of her story was nothing new. A wealthy girl leaves her homeland to marry a prince, neither for love nor looks but for the dowry and value she brings? This had been the path charted for Catherine’s mother, for countless girls of Catherine’s time and place. A path that, to a girl like Catherine, must have seemed as ancient and predictable as the rising sun. The world has lost the Queen - Britain’s longest-serving monarch - who led a truly extraordinary life, from a young unassuming princess to a symbol of endurance and loyalty.