Elizabeth

History has pictured Elizabeth I as Gloriana, an icon of strength and power, reigning longer and better than any of her predecessors. But the reality, especially during her later years, was not so simple.

In 1583 Elizabeth is fifty years old, past menopause, but her greatest challenges are still to come: the Spanish Armada, the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, relentless plotting among her own courtiers. This brutally honest portrait lifts the mask of Gloriana to reveal a woman who is fallible, vulnerable, jealous, increasingly insecure - and struggling to cope with the unenviable task of leading Britain.