Chapter 1: What rivalry defined the reigns of Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I?
A warning that in this episode we say some terrible words like... So you may not want to listen with children.
Okay, Alice, this series is uniquely challenging because it is effectively trilingual.
Oh, wow. Okay.
We've got English.
Yep. French. Yep.
And Scottish. So as well as all the accents, I've been brushing up on my vocab. So do you mind just testing me?
Okay, so apple juice.
Okay, the French would be... Perfect. The Scottish is...
Exactly. Great. One for one. All right. Let me think. Feeling ill.
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Chapter 2: How did Mary Queen of Scots' return to Scotland impact her reign?
Mary feels a rush of relief as her ladies gather around her. She approaches the stage, her eyes meeting those of the Dean, whose face is fixed in barely concealed contempt. Madam, you stand before us charged with treason against Queen Elizabeth. We pray for your soul. And the... Mary cuts in. Save your Protestant prayers for someone who wants them. She watches his face redden in fury.
Madam, repent your wickedness. Mary looks down at her robe. Hidden beneath it is her final act. A wave of calm washes over her. She needs say no more words in protest. Because Mary has one last card to play. One last way to strike at the heart of her enemies and bring down her filthy, treacherous cousin Elizabeth once and for all. From Audible Originals, I'm Matt Ford.
And I'm Alice Levine.
And this is British Scandal, the show where we bring you the murkiest stories that's ever happened on these odd little isles.
British scandals come in many shapes and sizes. Some are about money, some are about sex. They're all about power.
But when we look at scandals a bit closer, they turn out to be stranger, wilder, just plain weirder than we remember.
So we're journeying back to ask, who's to blame for what happened?
And when the dust settled, did anything really change? Alice, this series I'm bringing you a very special sort of rivalry.
Hmm?
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Chapter 3: What challenges did Mary face as a Catholic queen in a Protestant country?
It's 13 years since she last saw it, and she feels a swell of pride at the crowd lining her approach. She lifts her hand to check her auburn curls, then prepares to meet her subjects. But as Mary nears the palace gates, her smile freezes.
You flinched bitch! You flinched bastard! You horrible tapest!
Her pulse quickens as she takes in the expressions of twisted rage. She digs in her heels, cracks her whip and gallops through the crowds and into the palace to safety. Mary catches her breath as she dismounts. The palace steward approaches. Your Majesty, welcome to Holyrood. Mary eyes him furiously. What is the meaning of this vile populace? Your Majesty, your brother can explain.
Mary peels off her riding gloves. She wants her private chambers, privacy, air. But her half-brother has been ruling in her absence. She needs to show her face. She nods curtly and follows the steward through the grand entrance hall and into the council chamber. Mary's stomach lurches at the sight of a long table seating a dozen men. Her brother is not alone. The men are all unwashed, bearded.
Some have missing teeth. She's never seen such a motley crew. My lords. She straightens up to her full five foot eleven, steadies her gaze on her brother. Dear sister, I regret the disturbance that greeted you, although I imagine you expected opposition. Mary is sure she catches two of the lords smirking. Her eyes drift to the walls. The tapestries are wrong. Gone are the Catholic saints.
In their place hang dull cloth. Dread starts to settle in her stomach. She knows Scotland has changed in her absence. Last year, greedy Protestants, spurred on by the English, stripped her country of its rightful Catholic order. But grief has a way of narrowing the world. She's been so consumed with the loss of her husband.
Since Francis died, she's given little thought to what this revolution has done to her homeland. But I had hoped my people might welcome their queen, even a Catholic one.
OK, wow, a lot's going on. Firstly, the tapestries have changed. Can someone look into that? Because it looks bloody terrible in here. Secondly, she's 18 and her husband's died. What? And also everyone hates her.
OK, so when she was 15, she married Francis II of France and she lived in luxury as the Queen Consul of France.
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Chapter 4: How did Elizabeth I respond to the threat posed by Mary?
And it's easy now to go, oh, Catholics and Protestants, they're basically all Christian. I mean, it's still... Parts of Ireland and parts of Scotland are still riven by the sectarian issue. This is 500 years ago, and this would have been the single biggest divide of the time. You're French, you're a teenager, you're a woman, and you're now in the wrong religion.
Best of luck.
Mary watches as her brother shuffles on his feet. If Scotland is to avoid full civil war and renewed tensions with England, there are concessions you must consider... Mary's chest tightens. Such as? Well, a public abandonment of your faith. Absolutely not. Mary stares at him, incredulous. You have grown too accepting of this situation.
Sister, it would appease the rebels, while sending a clean message to Queen Elizabeth that you are no threat to England. Mary can hardly believe his cowardice. In France, she won over the most hostile French diplomats and courtiers with her beauty and charisma. She will do the same with Elizabeth, without compromising her beliefs. Elizabeth is her cousin, after all.
She places her hands on the table, takes in the dumb expressions of her counsellors. I will not dance to Elizabeth's tune. I will make her dance to mine. And Mary knows exactly how to do it. August 1561. Whitehall Palace, London. Queen Elizabeth pulls her horse to a halt, laughing. Elizabeth smiles as Robert Dudley wraps his hands around her waist and helps her to dismount, his touch lingering.
Elizabeth waves away her courtiers. I need only Lord Dudley. The rest of you may go. Elizabeth giggles. as Robert yanks her into the stable. She runs a finger along his long moustache and down his neat goatee, then leans in for a kiss. Elizabeth's eyes snap open. I must speak with Her Majesty. To Elizabeth's dismay, Robert nervously pulls away from her. You should go. Elizabeth scowls.
She's loath to cut short the only fun she's likely to have all day. She's had a turbulent three years on the throne, re-establishing Protestant rule. It's bad enough listening to her council's constant warnings of the Catholic threat to England without having to hear Scotland's ambassador drone on about his troubles too. Elizabeth pulls Robert close again, eyes him playfully.
My bonny sweet Robin, there's no rush. Elizabeth sighs as Robert looks unsure. You would deny your queen? I should punish you in the harshest way. She playfully raises her whip as the stable door slams open. Your Majesty. Elizabeth jerks away from Robert as the Scottish ambassador's puffy red face appears in the doorway. Please forgive the interruption, Your Majesty.
Your cousin Mary has sent word... Elizabeth's heart thuds. She's never met her younger cousin and has been anticipating her return with trepidation. She pledges her devotion to you and promises not to disrupt the Reformation or the peace between our countries. She's also sent a gift, her portrait. Elizabeth feels a rush of relief. I must see it.
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Chapter 5: What role did Robert Dudley play in the political dynamics between the queens?
Obsessed with him! He is an absolute sleazebag.
Elizabeth turns to see a sheepish look appear on Robert's face. Of course, she has nothing on you, Your Majesty. Elizabeth ignores the eye roll from the ambassador. She refuses to be bullied. Elizabeth's romance with Robert might be an open secret, but she has no intention of ever making any man her husband. She knows marriage will only weaken her position in the eyes of the people.
A bit like being in a boy band.
Go on.
Because once they've got girlfriends, they're not attainable anymore and then people stop going to see them at the NEC or whatever.
So you're saying people need to be able to imagine themselves going out with Queen Elizabeth.
Well, kind of in a way. And her whole brand was the Virgin Queen. So even though she is having it off with Dudley, she's not publicly admitting that. And she's a woman in the 1500s. So the moment she marries a man, you then got a king who then really becomes more powerful than her. So it's a way of retaining her individual power and also playing off some of these fellas against each other.
Ultimate bachelor. Your Majesty, it would be remiss not to mention that Mary still practices Catholicism. That's her devotion. Elizabeth snaps back. I am sure, like me, she simply wishes for a sisterly alliance between two queens. Your Majesty, even if that's true, the Catholic rebels already see her return as an opportunity to stir up resistance to your rule.
In some quarters she is seen as the rightful heir to your throne. Mary's Tudor blood threatens all that has been achieved these past three years.
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Chapter 6: How did personal relationships influence political alliances in this era?
She bows her head, determined not to let her paranoia interrupt her prayers. But she jumps to her feet as a high-pitched shatter fills the chapel. She ducks behind her prayer desk, peers out to see a smashed stained glass window crash down onto the chapel's marble floor, lying in shards. In its centre, a charred object illuminated by the moonlight.
She gathers her skirts, crouches down, stares at the object. It's a small, half-burned idol of the Virgin Mary. She feels herself stiffen as she collects it in her hands, her fear replaced with anger as she takes in the delicate face, blackened with charcoal. Mary gently turns it over to find memento mori scratched into the dark wood, then drops it before she too falls to the cold floor.
We're so fluent in Latin now from British Scandal that we both know that that means... Remember you must die. Exactly.
We just Googled it. An hour later, Mary paces her private quarters. She feels utterly violated. Can she not even find sanctity in her private chapel? She glances up to see her secretary approach. Kirtley waves him away. Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I come with a reply from Elizabeth. Mary feels a rush of adrenaline as she focuses on the small box he holds out on a tray.
She rips the letter beside it open. It brings me great joy to know we share not only blood, but also the unique burden of ruling as women. Mary sits down and reads on. I propose that we think of ourselves not as rivals, but as sister queens. United, we could be a powerful force. I send a symbol of the unbreakable bond I hope we can forge. Mary opens the small box.
She gasps as she takes in a ring with a large diamond that's been fashioned into the shape of a heart. She stares at it, transfixed. It is so generous, so beautiful. Your Majesty, might I suggest that your cousin may need your friendship as much as you need hers?
Yeah, I wonder if she's gone a bit big, as she kind of told on herself there. Because the portrait was sort of a token, whereas this almost feels like payment.
It's too much. Work your way up to a big diamond heart. Start off with a Hotel Chocolat H box.
A praline log.
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Chapter 7: What were the implications of the proposed marriage between Mary and Dudley?
Elizabeth feels winded.
Successor?
The advisor pushes the letter across the table towards her. Elizabeth's heart sinks as she scans Mary's neat writing. She knows this will push the matter of her own need for an heir to the top of the agenda. She must shut that idea and any threat for Mary down now. I am happy to hold such a meeting. Elizabeth watches as the men exchange panicked glances.
Your Majesty, the Catholic zealots are stirring across Europe. To even negotiate with Mary would... Send the wrong message to my subjects. The English people know I am wed to them only. They love me for having no other focus than their needs. They are also fickle, Your Majesty. If they turn, they may fix on Mary. Elizabeth bangs her fist on the table.
I don't have to name her, and any danger she poses will be contained if I meet her and give the impression I am considering the idea. She won't be cowed or manhandled by her advisors. Have the arrangements made. Elizabeth pushes her chair back and stands. But as she does, she's hit by a wave of nausea. She tries to steady herself by gripping the table, but her hand slips.
The room starts to spin around her. Your Majesty! Elizabeth! She starts to see small black dots. And then, complete darkness. As the rune tilts and her legs give way.
Your Majesty!
Then, nothing.
Your Majesty. Your Majesty. Your Majesty. Can you hear me?
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Chapter 8: How did the rivalry between Mary and Elizabeth escalate towards conflict?
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June 1562. Hampton Court, London, England. Elizabeth wrinkles her nose as her lady-in-waiting dabs her face with ointment, the pungent aroma hitting her nostrils. What is this? Ground snails, rosewater and chicken fat, Your Majesty. Elizabeth tries not to gag as her lady rubs it in to remove her pox marks. Yesterday, she drank a tonic made of crushed pearls.
The day before, her maids were instructed to hold dead pigeons against her sores.
A 1500s pigeon? You don't have smallpox, but you are about to die.
You've got rabies. Master Dudley is here, Your Majesty. Elizabeth's heart flips at the sight of him as he rushes towards her. My gracious lady, I've been worried sick. Elizabeth instinctively covers herself with her veil. Robert gently halts her hand. Please, I must see your face. Elizabeth studies his expression. She allows Robert to lift the fabric and sees only tenderness in his eyes.
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