As the wife of Charles I, Henrietta Maria, was in the firing line of the parliamentary propaganda machine. The Stuart queen was known as the “popish brat of France”, a “whore” and “the wife who wore the britches”. But does she deserve this rotten reputation? Emily Briffett spoke to Leanda de Lisle to bust some myths surrounding the reviled queen.

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Leanda de Lisle is the author of Henrietta Maria: Conspirator, Warrior, Phoenix Queen (Chatto & Windus, 2022)

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Authors

Emily BriffettContent Producer (Podcasts)

Emily is HistoryExtra’s Content Producer (Podcasts). Before joining the BBC History team in 2021, Emily graduated with an MA in Public History from Royal Holloway, University of London

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