England Under the Tudors

"If there were any connections between the Tudors and Windsors I would not be sitting here talking to you. I would be sitting in the Tower or with my head chopped off for all the things I have written about the Royals! The reason I chose this book is that G R Elton is the father of modern historians. He has inspired a whole generation of people, from David Starkey to Philippa Gregory. The Tudors were the antithesis of today’s royal family. Henry VIII was a swashbuckling character, a Renaissance man. He wrote things for the Pope. The nearest equivalent is Peter the Great of Russia. One of the criticisms of the current Queen is that she has not really introduced much in terms of royal anything into the national consciousness. At least Prince Charles has had a go with architecture and organic farming. He has tended to be on the right side of the argument about the environment . Even the Queen opening up Buckingham Palace was done on sufferance because of the fire at Windsor Castle. So I look forward to seeing what William and Kate do."