The Queen's Bed: An Intimate History of Elizabeth's Court

In 1558, Queen Elizabeth I ascended to the throne and restored the Protestant faith to England. Her bedchamber became the center of court life, guarded by favored women who dressed her, managed her jewels, and shared her sleeping quarters. These attendants witnessed her without makeup and royal garments, and were privy to rumors of her relationships, including with Earl Robert Dudley. The queen's body held symbolic importance as a representation of the British state itself. Her bedfellows served dual purposes: they provided security against assassination plots and Catholic threats, while also ensuring propriety. The women who attended Elizabeth held knowledge of her health, chastity, and fertility, functioning as her friends, confidantes, and spies. Historian Anna Whitelock examines the politics of intimacy within the Elizabethan court. The Queen's Bed reconstructs the queen's private quarters and the women who occupied them for the first time, exploring the sex, gossip, conspiracy, and intrigue that characterized daily life in the royal court. The book focuses on these attendants' experiences—figures largely overlooked by historical scholarship—and their intimate knowledge of the queen.