Queens and Kings: An Unusually Personal History

by Lucy Worsley

THE BRAND-NEW BOOK FROM SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR LUCY AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW

No one has lived and breathed the monarchy quite like Lucy Worsley. For over twenty years, she worked as Chief Curator in some of Britain's most splendid palaces - and now she is ready to throw open the doors and welcome us in.

In QUEENS & KINGS, Lucy takes us on a journey through some of our most turbulent and significant moments in history. From the Council Chamber in which Henry VIII decided to break from the Pope to lunch with the late Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, from encounters with the Tower of London's Ravenmaster to the depths of Queen Victoria's wardrobe, Lucy shares how she grew to know the queens and kings, courtiers and servants who lived in these buildings before her. She traces their footsteps through the corridors and cloisters, the courtyards and kitchens and breathes new life into moments of great joy and consequence - as well as tales of intrigue which lurked in the shadows of regal splendour.

Packed with new stories told from unexplored places, this is a fresh history of the monarchy.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Audiobook, Royalty, British Literature, London

400 pages, Hardcover

First published September 3, 2026

About the author

I was born in Reading (not great, but it could have been Slough), studied Ancient and Modern History at New College, Oxford, and I've got a PhD in art history from the University of Sussex.

My first job after leaving college was at a crazy but wonderful historic house called Milton Manor in Oxfordshire. Here I would give guided tours, occasionally feed the llamas, and look for important pieces of paper that my boss Anthony had lost. Soon after that I moved to the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, in the lovely job for administrator of the Wind and Watermills Section. Here I helped to organise that celebrated media extravaganza, National Mills Day. I departed for English Heritage in 1997, first as an Assistant Inspector and then as an Inspector of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings; Bolsover Castle, Hardwick Old Hall, and Kirby Hall were my favourite properties there. In 2002 I made a brief excursion to Glasgow Museums before coming down to London as Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces in 2003. Yes, this is a brilliant job, but no, you can’t have it. (Bribes have been offered, and refused.)

You might also catch me presenting history films on the old goggle box, giving the talks on the cruise ship Queen Mary 2, or slurping cocktails.

***

Lucy Worsley, OBE (born 18 December 1973) is an English historian, author, curator, and television presenter.

Worsley is Joint Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces but is best known as a presenter of BBC Television series on historical topics, including Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency (2011), Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls (2012), The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain (2014), A Very British Romance (2015), Lucy Worsley: Mozart’s London Odyssey (2016), and Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016).

-From Wikipedia

Reviews

[Brendan (History Nerds United)]

Well, this was delightful. For those of you unfamiliar with Lucy Worsley, I don't know how. The woman is everywhere. In print, streaming, and in your social media. I think the best way to describe her is that she constantly looks like she is having the BEST time. Now, she is doing it in book form with Queens and Kings.

To keep it short (for me anyway), Worsley was a super important (not according to her) curator and got to spend time where many famous Britons called home. What she covers in this book is basically short rundowns of various queens and kings with a bit of a contrarian air. It's the fun kind of contrarian, not the smug kind. For instance, Mary I? Wasn't as bad as her reputation. Queen Anne? How happy would you be after 17 pregnancies? Sprinkled throughout are short anecdotes about Worsley's own career that range from insightful to utterly hilarious. I shall not forget the image of Worsley having to army-crawl under a window so as not to spoil the view.

This book will work best for those not steeped in British history especially from the Tudors onward. Worsley is having fun (like I keep saying) and is not trying to write dissertations or extended think-pieces on each monarch. This is more of a high-level overview to stimulate some new perspectives and entice non-history readers to look a little deeper.

(This book was provided as a review copy by Pegasus Books.)

[Alisha]

An excellent primer on British royalty from Henry VIII onwards, as seen from the perspective of Lucy Worsley in her curatorial role.

[Ryann]

I could not think of a more enjoyable way to learn about the Queens and Kings of England than from a woman who spent 21 years as Chief Curator, overseeing many of my bucket list locations, from Hampton Court Palace and Kensington Palace to the Tower of London.

Lucy Worsley brings her unique experience and perspective to guide the reader through the Tudor Age to present day, beginning with Henry VIII and ending with Elizabeth II. If you are unfamiliar with these stories, this is a wonderful introduction into some of the great and terrible royals of the day. If you are more familiar with these monarchs, this book offers plenty of lesser known accounts and insights, as well as tales of her experience filming her documentaries and memorable moments from her career like having Queen Elizabeth in the audience during a lecture she gave on Jane Austen.

I enjoyed learning that Henry VIII was fascinated by medicine and had a book of recipes for medical concoctions that survive in the British Library. I also realized that I need to read my biography on George II because I thought prior that only a Lannister king in Game of Thrones died on a toilet. Different circumstances of course, but what a way for an actual King to pass.

There is much to enjoy in this book and I highly recommend!

A very happy Thank You to Pegasus Books for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Tea Leaves and Reads]

Ah but if these walls could talk... and finally, they do. Queens and Kings tell us a history of the British Monarchy from inside the very walls of it all - from a vantage point of having actually lived in a palace.

Lucy Worsley tells history in a warm, engaging and light-hearted way. Her lifetime of experience has been expertly crafted into the pages of one incredible book. It is incredibly engaging, in fact, and peppered with anecdotes from Lucy's own career, it is somewhat unique in telling History through a very different perspective.

[Anne Morgan]

The delightful Lucy Worsley does it again! Her latest book, Queens and Kings: An Unusually Personal History, offers history lovers a high-level history of British monarchs from the Tudor period to modern day with a certain focus. As the former Curator of Historic Royal Palaces, Worsley is intimately familiar with the palaces so many moarchs lived in and offers us specific stories of their lives in connection to the physical locations we migh still know today: Kennsinton Palace, the Tower of London, Kew Gardens, and my personal favorite Hampton Court Palace.

She also shares stories from her own time as curator and filming numerous documentaries connected to the palaces she knows and loves with her trademark sense of humor. From living and working at Hapton Court Palace to army crawling across lawns to preserve the view for important visitors; finding and interpreting blueprints of pre-renovation rooms to see what might actually have happened; reinterpreting the story of George III and more.

Queens and Kings is an excellent addition to any history lover's collection-fun to read, and definitely a book that will encourage those who don't know Lucy Worsley and Britich history to take a deeper dive!

I received an ARC of this book from Eidelweiss in exchange for an honest review

[Rebecca]

Lovely bibliography and endnotes. The first two thirds of the book were engaging, and made the monarchs feel human. The chatty style became a bit gratung at around the section on George IV to the end. Some assumptions and presuming happen. Some of the verbiage is less than kind to the physical appearance of the monarchs and feels more in line with gossip columns than I've come to expect. The few mentions of the Irish Potato Famine were dismissive of how the government mismanaged it and made it worse. To maintain a chatty tone, some of the darker elements only get small mentions or no mentions at all. Yes, we see the monarchs as human and flawed, but by covering so much history in only one book, one only gets sound bites. The Autobiographical portions were inserted in a disjointed manner, and I found myself wanting more of that side of the story.

[Jim]

I’ve been a fan of Lucy Worsley’s history series for years, and I recently read her wonderful book on Queen Victoria. So I was excited to pick up *Queens and Kings*, and it absolutely delivered.

Lucy covers an impressive sweep of royal history without getting bogged down in names, dates, or details. She knows which stories to linger over, and her enthusiasm makes even familiar figures feel fresh.

What really makes this book sing, though, is the personal reflection woven through it. Lucy shares what it has meant to spend years working in the places where this history happened. Those moments give the book a warmth I loved.

A delightful blend of history and personal reflection. Five stars.

[Susan]

Lucy always tells a good tale - and her insider knowledge of British Royalty is, shall I say, unsurpassed! After all she was chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces for 20 years and has done numerous BBC specials and podcasts.
These are snapshots of the kings and queens and the palaces they lived in. It's by no means an all-inclusive history of their lives, but it does sketch out some specific incidents and backroom information and provides some interesting insider perspectives. She also ties together the time lines and royal successions that often get fuzzy.
If you love history or are just getting familiar with British History, it's a fun, not terribly academic read.

[Sage]

Lucy Worsley does it again — this was such a fabulous read and I enjoyed it so much. Lucy takes us through the Queens and Kings, from the Tudors to the late Queen Elizabeth II. I always have trouble with the Hanover family tree in particular and all the gazillion Georges, but this was so expertly laid out that I had no trouble following at all. I highlighted a bunch of things but unfortunately my iPad deleted all of my annotations 😭 still, an excellent read by an incomparable historian and writer, and I loved every minute of it. Thanks for the DRC!

[KIMBERLY CRAWFORD]

Audiobook listen: I’m a huge fan of Lucy’s to begin with, so my 5 star rating isn’t a huge surprise. What made this book especially wonderful was Lucy’s narration. When an author narrates their own book, they infuse the contents with a passion and nuance that can’t be conveyed by a third party. Lucy is my favorite teacher and this book, a royal history through her very personal lens, was especially moving. This is a book for everyone, from those just dipping their toe into royal history, to armchair experts ready to test their knowledge. Well done, Lucy. And thank you for sharing your story.

[Georgia Eccles]

This is a book about Kings and Queens that at times, had me questioning what I've always been told about certain royals. From her personal experience, the author takes us through a journey of royalty albeit mainly through personal anecdotes and her knowledge of royal palaces from the Tudors onwards. Her analysis of people like Queen Anne and Wallis Simpson I wasn't surprised at....but of Prince Albert I was definitely shocked

[Maryann]

Pleasant reminiscences by Lucy Worsley of her time as curator of royal palaces. There’s a lot of history mentioned but only in passing. I enjoy Lucy’s documentaries. She mentions lots of them while talking about the objects, rooms and people who were in them. The book is loosely biographical. Lucy tells you how old she was when she was in a particular palace. Nothing very new or exciting revealed but probably a good to read individual chapters before taking a tour through one of the palaces.

[Dana]

3.5 stars. I like Lucy's work, but this feels a bit all over the place. It's mostly a history of English/British monarchy since Henry VIII, with some biographical or personal memories thrown in. But the personal stuff is secondary and not substantial enough for the book. I would have liked to know more about what Lucy did as Chief Curator, or things that the Historic Royal Palace did/does/will do.

[Jane Lawrence]

Oh those Royals

The book reads like Lucy Worsley is tv shows great history , not gray and boring like a text. As they say a deep dive into the true facts. Its a page turner which will keep you up and night or tucked in on a rainy fall day or out of the summers heat. One compliant is some of the chapter s are too short, I wanted more of the story. Have a good time with this one a keeper if you love whose crazy Royal.

[Sheri]

Lucy Worsley is one of my favorite historians and I love the sound of her voice so as soon as this book came out I needed to hear the audio version since she was reading her own book. To hear her experience to fall into this book and hear the history of the monarchs and their stories was wonderful and magical and told in a way that only Lucy can do.

[Melanie]

I love Lucy Worsley anyway, but her retelling of the lives of all the various queens and kings who lived in the palaces in which she had the pleasure of being curator is a pretty unique lens in which to enhance that retelling. Her sense of humor is delightful and getting to listen ti her narration made it all the better.

[Christine Rolls]

This is a thoroughly entertaining and well-written book about the lives of the English Queens and Kings from the Tudors to the late Queen Elizabeth II. A new book by Lucy Worsley is always a great treat.

[Renae L Thurman]

Lucy tells a great tale of the royal lives from her 20 years as Chief Curator at Hampton Court Palace. Her personal life experiences and research experiences are shared in a witty and fun way making it an enjoyable read. She debunks sine if the way certain royals have been viewed too!

[Patricia]

Possibly the most delightful book about British history as seen through the humans who lived it I have ever read. OBE Lucy Worsley I read your book in 3 afternoons. I can only hope you write another.

[Sandra Armor]

4.5 stars

I listened to the audiobook, read by the author, and she was so entertaining. I very much enjoyed this book. Lots of fascinating history I didn’t know before. The end seemed a bit cut off as there was very little information about QE II, but this was still an enjoyable book.

[Danielle]

I’ve been looking for a book like this for years! It’s the perfect short, yet engaging history of all the kings and queens of England since Henry VIII. Worsley’s books are always a joy to read. Now I’m curious to see how it compares with Unruly by David Mitchell.

[Sue Foster]

Excellent book marrying history with the authors own experiences as Chief Curator of Historic Palaces.

[Ddelmoni]

What a fun and informative read!

[Andrew Rock]

Lucy has a wonderful chatty way of making history easy and interesting. A great read

[Pat Gibson]

Charming history lesson

I have watched Lucy on many PBS specials, and her writing is just as enjoyable. Even for a certificate holding history teacher, I learned quite a bit. .

[Mr Philip Savage]

Brilliant

[Jess]

Can’t fault how wonderful this book is! The quickest I’ve possibly read a non fic! Lucy is a fabulous writer and historian

[Dave Parr]

Informative and fascinating but as expected a little sycophantic. Don't expect a critical account of the Royals

[habs_tay]

A book written by Lucy Worsley also read by Lucy Worsley! Perfect 😌⭐️

[Jo]

Very enjoyable indeed. Highly readable and extremely informative.