Painting of Louis VIII and Blanche of Castille

Kings and queens

A collage of six images shows Queen Elizabeth II in military uniform, in later life wearing a light outfit and hat, in coronation regalia beside Prince Philip, speaking at a BBC microphone, on her wedding day, and as a young woman hugging a dog.

Long to reign over us: how did Queen Elizabeth II survive seven decades of dizzying change?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A colour photograph shows Queen Elizabeth II wearing a bright blue coat and matching hat while operating a touchscreen display at the Science Museum. A large screen behind her shows the same moment from a different angle, and wooden architectural structures fill the background. The scene captures her engagement with science and technology during a public visit.

How did the world change during Queen Elizabeth II's reign?

Elizabeth II: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 63 royal women who changed the world. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 5Queen Victoria: a symbol of empire. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 4Mary I: England’s most misunderstood queen?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 3Marie Antoinette: the French queen who became the target of a revolution. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 2Cleopatra’s rise and fall. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 1Elizabeth II: the queen who redefined an era. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A detailed painting depicts a ruler seated on a golden throne beneath a decorated canopy, surrounded by attendants and courtiers in elaborate garments and turbans. Musicians sit in the foreground, and greenery fills the background.

Power, pomp and the Peacock Throne: the Mughal empire at 500. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Retracing Eleanor of Castile's final journey. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Queen Elizabeth II sits on a garden bench with her young children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, holding them close as they look in different directions among colourful flowers.

What was Queen Elizabeth II like as a mother?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A young Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, smiles in a black-and-white portrait, wearing a riding hat and tailored jacket against a plain sky.

The young Elizabeth II: life before she was Queen. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Queen Elizabeth II, wearing a lilac polka-dot dress, matching hat with decorative trim, white gloves and a pearl necklace, smiles and chats with a young participant in a yellow shirt at a children’s rally in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

In pictures: Queen Elizabeth II on tour. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A collage combines several portraits and illustrations of rulers and notable figures, including people in regal robes, armour, and elaborate crowns, alongside a muscular figure drawn in a black‑and‑white engraving style.

16 of the worst monarchs in history

A person with long, wavy light‑brown hair adorned with small pearls poses with one arm bent and resting against their face. They wear a pearl necklace and a teardrop pearl earring, shown against a dark background.

England's mistress: how Nell Gwyn won the heart of Charles II – and became a political powerhouse. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A collage of Tudor figures. Each square shows a different monarch or noble figure in 16th‑ or early‑17th‑century dress, including ruffs, jewelled headpieces, and richly decorated garments. Recognisable figures such as Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Mary I, Elizabeth I, and James I appear among the portraits. The grid highlights variations in artistic style, clothing, and facial depiction across the period.

Think you know everything about the Tudors? Here's 15 facts that will prove you wrong. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A tailor in a black vest and white shirt holds two large horns as he attaches them to a Viking’s helmet. The Viking wears a grey helmet, blue tunic, feathered cloak, and has a long orange beard, all set against a bright green background

What are history's biggest misconceptions? 9 experts reveal what we get wrong about the past. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A digital collage mixes close‑up sections of a painted face with modern geometric shapes in yellow, blue, gray, white, and rust‑red, intersected by black lines. A necklace with a gold letter “B” and pearl drops appears among the fragments.

What did Anne Boleyn REALLY look like? Our new research could change everything. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A detailed Persian miniature painting showing a central figure seated on a raised platform beneath a decorated canopy, surrounded by a halo of flames. Attendants and courtiers in colourful robes and turbans sit or stand around them, with trays of food, vessels, and fans arranged in the scene. Stylized hills, flowers, and animals fill the background, all rendered in intricate patterns and bright colours.

12 modern trends with surprisingly ancient roots. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration showing a royal purple robe being lifted from the ground, with some dust being swept under it with a dustpan and brush

The prince and the brothel: 6 scandals that rocked the British monarchy. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 1The royal family | Alice Loxton on the world of the Georgians. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A large illustration of Henry VIII with several images imprinted on him

Porpoise for breakfast and late night sex visits: Henry VIII's life in a day. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Habsburg royals displaying the distinctive jaw that became a hallmark of their intermarrying to stay in power. (Images by Getty)

What was the Habsburg jaw?

Star witness: how the Royal Observatory transformed our understanding of astronomy and time. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A painting of a ship with several white sails and flags on it. In front of the ship, there are large crowds of people in small boats

Not 1066 again! Should we ditch our obsession with dates?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration of a haunted house. The background is black and purple, and the house is split into orange, green, black and white boxes. In each box, there are Halloween themed things such as skulls, ghosts, and eyes looking through keyholes

From tragic Tudor queens to restless Roman soldiers: Britain's 8 most haunted houses. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 2BORN to be king!? Dan Jones and Helen Castor anatomise Henry IV. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Frogmore Cottage and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Your history guide to Frogmore Cottage: who has lived there before?

A painting showing a man dressed in armour, with a blue and red flag over him, riding a white horse amongst a busy battlefield

5 things you (probably) didn't know about the Tudors. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.