Kings and queens

A bust of Queen Nefertiti of Ancient Egypt. (Photo by Oliver Lang/AFP/Getty Images)

Your guide to Egypt’s sun queen Nefertiti

Tutankhamun death mask

Tutankhamun quiz: do you know all the boy king’s secrets?

Happier days: The tsar and his family pose for a portrait in c1910, years before he was swept from power and murdered. Maria, Olga and Tatiana (left to right) are at the back. Alexandra and Nicholas are seated with Alexey at their feet. Anastasia is far right. (Photo by Getty Images)

The last days of the Romanovs: could George V have saved the family?

Members of the royal family: Prince Louis; Prince George; Prince William, Duke of Cambridge; Princess Charlotte; Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge; Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; Prince Charles, Prince of Wales; Princess Anne, Princess Royal; and Queen Elizabeth II during the Queen's annual birthday parade on 8 June 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Q&A How did the royals choose 'Windsor'?

Richard III

Richard III quiz: how much do you know about the last Plantagenet king?

Portrait of King George V of England. (Photo by Getty Images)

Your guide to King George V: facts about his life, reign and death

Nathen Amin discusses the plots and conspiracies that threatened to unseat Henry VII from his throne. (Illustration by Eleanor Taylor)

The pretenders who threatened Henry VII’s crown

Peter O’Toole (top) plays Henry II alongside Richard Burton

“Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?” The truth behind Henry II’s notorious lament

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, back to back

‘Two steps behind’: male royal consorts through history

The Imperial State Crown

Second World War

Q&A Where were the crown jewels kept during World War II?

King John hunting on horseback, 14th century. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Was King John murdered?

Portrait of John of Gaunt

John of Gaunt: father of England’s medieval monarchy and self-styled Spanish king

Cleopatra bust. (Photo by Getty Images)

Cleopatra: unpicking myth from reality

Our illustration shows Thomas Boleyn, whose flair for diplomacy and mastery of languages made him one of Henry VIII's most trusted ambassadors. (Illustration by Sean McSorley)

Thomas Boleyn: why Anne Boleyn’s father was more than a grasping courtier

Newark Castle flanked by the river Trent. To say that King John's death here in 1216 was little-lamented is something of an understatement.

King John and the French invasion