Six Queens!

Our fascination with Tudor history continues unabated; they were dangerous and complex times which altered our country for ever! St James's Palace (above) built by Henry VIII remains our principal palace in the land but it's for his many marriages and search for a male heir that he is best known.

This summer, the "Six Lives" exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery focuses on the lives of King Henry's Queens. On show are historic paintings and drawings, modern photography, dress and film, The lives of these six women were pawns in the monumental changes that took place during Henry's reign and this exhibition gives us a chance to consider their legacy and portrayal. It coincides with the BBC filming of late author Hilary Mantel's "The Mirror and the Light". This is the third book of her trilogy of novels about Thomas Cromwell who knew and manipulated Henry's wives. The BBC serial stars Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis - it is likely to air later this year.