It was lucky for Victoria that Albert died young…

When a new queen takes the throne it is only right for her to have a motto. Queen Anne chose ‘Always the same’. ‘Bloody’ Mary I went for ‘truth, the daughter of time’. Anne Boleyn opted for two. The first, ‘the most happy’, came across as rather smug to those supporters of Catherine of Aragon who still lingered in royal circles. The second, which was embroidered into her servants’ liveries, ‘ainsi sera groigne qui groigne’ (‘haters gonna hate’) wouldn’t dissuade onlookers of these sentiments.

Was Queen Anne really a lesbian? 

Lucy Worsley’s fantastic new book is filled with such nuggets of historical delights. As chief curator of the Royal Palaces (which include Hampton Court, Kew, Kensington and the Tower of London) Worsley has learned almost everything there is to know about some of our greatest monarchs. She begins our romp through history at Hampton Court with Henry VIII, his wives and children. Then we head to the Stuarts and discover that we have James I, and his Bible, to thank for exclamations such as ‘woe is me’ and the phrase to go ‘from strength to strength’.

When it comes to the Georges, we learn that to those who fell from favour, George I would turn his back (or rump). In consolation, those who had been ‘rumped’ formed a club… the appropriately named ‘Rumpsteak Club’. Worsley is quite refreshing in her fairness. She’s ready to debunk preconceived notions about sex, sexuality, parenting and morality. And to add some scepticism when modern views might have clouded the historical reality.

Poor old bloated Anne was actually a top-tier monarch who ruled fairly, supported the arts and was excellent at foreign relations. And Worsley leaves the possibility ‘open’ that there might have been a physical love triangle between Anne, her closest friend Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough and her later favourite, Abigail Masham. The only evidence is that the women never wrote to their husbands in as loving terms as they did each other.

As for Victoria, Prince Albert was far from an ideal husband. While he had an impressive mind and eye for innovation, he clashed with her government and kept her ‘so heavily burdened with maternal duties, he could get on with making himself king in all but name’. Had he not died so young, there might have been tricky times ahead for the royal couple once the Queen went through the menopause.

It becomes obvious, through details of scrappy mottos, comparison of the widening girth of Henry VIII and George IV (the waists of each expanded to almost 55 inches) and the fact that Princess Margaret was the first royal to get divorced since Anne of Cleves, that even in the country’s grandest houses, normal people – who love, lose and pile on the pounds – can still be found.

This highly readable and thoughtfully curated history is a testament to Worsley’s skill as a communicator, and to the fact that history is never as straightforward as it might seem.