The bones of Elizabeth I, Good Queen Bess, lie mingled with those of her sister, Bloody Mary, in a single tomb at Westminster Abbey. But are they really royal remains — or evidence of the greatest conspiracy in English history?
If that is not the skeleton of Elizabeth Tudor, the past four centuries of British history have been founded on a lie.
Bram Stoker most famous as the author of Dracula had heard persistent stories that a coffin had been discovered by a clergyman at Bisley during the early 1800s, with the skeleton of a girl dressed in Tudor finery, even with gems sewn onto the cloth.
It seemed to chime with local legends persisting for centuries that an English monarch had been, in reality, a child from the village.
Above all, Stoker believed, it was the most plausible explanation why Elizabeth, who succeeded to the throne in 1558, aged 25, never married.
American author Steve Berry believes Elizabeth could have been telling the literal truth — that she had the heart of a man, because her body was male. He has spent 18 months researching the conspiracy for his novel The King’s Deception, a Dan Brown-style thriller set in 21st-century London.
I don’t read Dan the man but does that mean I have to skip Steve too?
Just Fletcher 
Jun 11, 2013 @ 17:35:17
What a fantastic theory. Might as well be true…
Jun 12, 2013 @ 06:03:02
I want to read the book to see how this works because what I know of English history there was no privacy because ladies in waiting always dressed and undressed the Royals. But yes it could make a good story
Nice to see you around
🙂
Jun 12, 2013 @ 05:58:34
Very interesting. Will we ever know the truth? 😀
Jun 12, 2013 @ 06:05:37
I suppose if they ‘dig up’ her bones, yes, but I don’t think the English will even consider this. You know the Royals still regard her as the greatest of English rulers.
Hi Sonel
🙂
Jun 12, 2013 @ 06:08:46
Hi Fletch! Yes and I guess also because they’re scared of the truth. I must say, she was no oil painting for sure..heheheh
Jun 12, 2013 @ 06:13:24
And she had quite a violent temper, once stuck a fork through the hand of one of her servants who made her mad.
Quite, no oil painting , she dictated what gets painted.
Jun 12, 2013 @ 06:21:19
Good grief! The poor servant! Nasty lady indeed. I won’t dig up her bones for sure..LOL!
Yeah, those times they didn’t have photoshop…heheheheh
Jun 12, 2013 @ 13:58:42
I think she was a woman because she was extremely jealous of beautiful women
/:D
Jun 12, 2013 @ 14:07:49
Shame on her! No wonder she was so ugly. She didn’t have any beauty from the inside. Envy does make a person ugly and she had that. 😀
Jun 12, 2013 @ 13:54:52
I love conspiracy theories. 😀
Jun 12, 2013 @ 13:59:50
Fun to read, hard to believe
😀
Jun 12, 2013 @ 17:43:58
interesting indeed!
I watched the other boleyn girl for the first time only the other night and that again tickled my curiosity regarding Mary and Elizabeth
Jun 12, 2013 @ 21:53:52
Another interesting (conspiracy) theory re Elizabeth I was that she had Lord Dudley’s wife murdered (he was her lover) .
Mary Boleyn actually had a lucky escape, never married Henry.
Jun 13, 2013 @ 07:37:29
Nope, not buying that one! (but you never know 🙂 )
Jun 13, 2013 @ 14:00:17
Nope I do not buy into conspiracy theories either but they certainly make for good stories
🙂
Jun 15, 2013 @ 14:20:02
Hello Tante, just popping in, still living, hope you have a good long weekend…….
Jun 15, 2013 @ 14:28:48
Hello dearest auntie elgee
🙂
Did I send you the Steve berry book because I read it is a bit like Dan Brown
Xxx
Jun 15, 2013 @ 23:14:15
An unlikely story, say I. One of the ladies’ men she bedded would have split on her before she could off with their head them.
Jun 16, 2013 @ 06:53:12
I will read the book just to see how the author gets round that one
🙂
Jun 16, 2013 @ 10:52:34
My first thoughts were…not a chance; this has the ring of that old canard, the Lady Pope.
Besides , what about all those ladies in waiting? You can only pee sitting down for so long without revealing something.
Then I reconsidered and thought of Castor Semanye. So…if this was a similar case…who knows?
Jun 16, 2013 @ 11:04:53
I was actually thinking about that one too. But yo be fair I have the book on my to-read list and if it is not too boring I may see how he gets around all these difficulties.
Jun 16, 2013 @ 11:09:46
No pee-ping at the ‘no pee-pee? 😉
Jun 18, 2013 @ 17:56:05
let us know more!! 😉
Jun 20, 2013 @ 08:55:22
It is very much a Dan Brown kind of story – not my favourite. Berry did research English history of the time but there is no concrete proof!
Unless the bones are opened up, we will never know.
All I can add is that Elizabeth I was indeed a very strange ‘lady’ with many secrets.
🙂
Jun 25, 2013 @ 08:40:46
I’ll have to read up on her!!!! hope all ok!!
Jun 26, 2013 @ 20:14:32
I`ve read all Dan Browns books so far, most of his facts are just theories. they made good reading though. As for Elizabeth 1 being a man, I suppose it`s possible because there was a case of a doctor being a woman , they only found out when she died and they layed out the body. Her father was a Doctor and in those days only men could take that position.
Jun 27, 2013 @ 06:25:31
I really do not know, all I know is that Elizabeth never allowed a doctor to touch her apart from throat.
I remember the story of the doctor yes.