Regina: A New History of Women and Power

Kate Williams

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From Cleopatra to Grace Kelly, an epic new history of royal women that shatters the myths we have built around them.

Stories about royal women form some of our most foundational myths about femininity, and yet their legacies have been almost entirely constructed by the words and images of men. In Regina, celebrated historian Kate Williams leads us deep into the world of queens, empresses, princesses, mistresses and ladies-in-waiting, uncovering how their ambitions were shaped, celebrated and often thwarted.

From the ancient civilisations of Egypt and Mesopotamia to the opulent courts of the pre-medieval world, REGINA delves into the lives of these remarkable women, revealing both their trials and triumphs as they navigate political intrigue, family rivalries and personal sacrifices. From Hatshepsut and Cleopatra, through to Tudor queens Catherine of Aragon and Lady Jane Grey, via Queen Victoria's contemporaries Yaa Asentewaa of Ghana and Queen Lili'oukulani of Hawaii, and right up to Princess Diana, this is an unmissable history that unlocks why we think about women, politics and power in the ways that we do.

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Praise for Regina: A New History of Women and Power

  • Passionate, exuberant and entertaining, a treasure trove of royalty, intrigue and politics - Simon Sebag Montefiore on BECOMING QUEENThe perfect combination of scholarship and storytelling, meticulous research and emotional insight - Kate Mosse on RIVAL QUEENSIt takes a special kind of historian to turn an old story on its head - Lucy Worsley on RIVAL QUEENS

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Kate Williams

Kate Williams

Professor Kate Williams is a historian and the New York Times bestselling author of over ten works of history and historical non-fiction which include Rival Queens, The Royal Palaces and Edge of the Fall. She has presented various TV shows on the BBC, Channel 5 and PBS, including Restoration Home, Young Victoria, Inside Versailles and Secrets of the Royal Palaces. She is CNN's royal historian and covers all royal events for CNN (including the funeral of Elizabeth II) and also discusses royals on the BBC and Sky News. She studied for her BA and DPhil at Oxford and is Professor in Public Engagement with History at the University of Reading, and lectures all over the world. She has appeared on shows from the Great British Bake Off to Gardener's World and has won UK quiz shows including Mastermind, Pointless and Antiques Road Trip. Her greatest love is a dusty document.

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