In June 2012 the Historical Association and Historic Royal Palaces joined forces to offer a fantastic CPD opportunity in line with the Queen's diamond jubilee. Two CPD events around the theme of Royal Women charted the private histories of queens of the past from within the walls of their palaces. What was it really like to be a queen? What was the reaction to a female monarch?  How has monarchy changed? What private events shaped the lives of these women? From phantom pregnancies, confinements and still births to near death, private fears and bereavements, the royal women of the Palaces each have a fascinating private story to tell.

In the first lecture Tracy Borman compares the reigns of the two Elizabeths. In the second lecture Anne Somerset looks at the reign of Queen Anne.