The Secret Life of Elizabeth I

Paul Doherty examines claims that Elizabeth I maintained secret intimate relationships and may have concealed a pregnancy or child. The enquiry concentrates on Robert Dudley, court gossip, diplomatic reports and episodes in which the queen’s health and seclusion produced rumours among contemporaries.

The book tests later legends against Tudor political culture, where the queen’s body, marriage and succession were matters of state. It considers how hostile ambassadors, Catholic opponents and disappointed courtiers created or repeated stories that could damage Elizabeth’s authority. The study presents a controversial interpretation while exposing the evidential problems surrounding private life at a highly watched court.