Chris Skidmore will be talking about his new book

‘ Death and the Virgin: Elizabeth, Dudley and the Mysterious Fate of Amy Robsart‘

on Sunday 21st March at 7pm at The Stables Kenilworth Castle

Kenilworth Books is delighted that Chris, author and lecturer in History,  has agreed to talk about his latest book as part of our ‘Meet The Author’ series.

Christopher Skidmore takes a fresh look at the familiar story of a queen who never married, and reveals a very different picture: of a vulnerable young woman, in love with her suitor, Robert Dudley. Had it not been for the mysterious and untimely death of his wife, Amy Robsart, Elizabeth might have one day been able to marry Dudley, since Amy was believed to be dying of breast cancer. Instead, the suspicious circumstances surrounding Amy Robsart’s death would cast a long shadow over Elizabeth’s life, preventing any hope of a union with Dudley and ultimately shaping the course of Tudor history. Using newly discovered evidence from the archives, to be precise the coroner’s report into Amy’s death which has never been seen before, Christopher Skidmore is able to put an end to centuries of speculation as to the true causes of her death. This is the story of a remarkable and frenetic period in Elizabeth’s life: a tale of love, death and tragedy, exploring the dramatic early life of England’s Virgin Queen. And what better place for Christopher to tell this story than the magnificent surroundings of the Tudor barn at Kenilworth Castle which, as stables, would have been very familiar to both Elizabeth and Dudley.

Christopher’s exciting find and the story resulting from it has been nationally publicised in newspapers and on the Today programme on Radio 4…..do have a look at http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article7034946.ece

Tickets priced £7.50 (£5 concessions) will be available from Kenilworth Library, Kenilworth Books and Warwick Books.