Regina: A New History of Women and Power
Kate Williams
Jun 2026 · Weidenfeld & Nicolson · Narrated by Kate Williams and Esther Wane
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17 hr 50 min
Unabridged
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From Cleopatra to Grace Kelly, an epic new history of royal women that shatters the myths we have built around them.
'Erudite, clever, brilliant' KATE MOSSE
'A royal smash. Kate Williams is at the top of her game' KATE LISTER
'A fascinating and excellent chronicle of female rulers' SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE
'Williams enlarges our past, transforming our understanding of power' DAN SNOW
Stories about royal women form some of our most foundational myths about femininity, and yet their legacies have been almost entirely constructed by the words and images created by men.
In Regina, acclaimed historian Kate Williams leads us deep into a world of queens, empresses, princesses, mistresses and courtiers, uncovering how their ambitions were shaped, celebrated and often thwarted, exposing a tangled web of women and power that spans thousands of years.
Ranging from the ancient civilisations of Egypt and Mesopotamia to the opulent courts of the pre-modern world and the last days of colonialism, Williams delves into the lives of these remarkable women, revealing both their trials and triumphs as they navigate political intrigue, family rivalries and personal sacrifices.
From Hatshepsut and Boudica, through Tudor queens Catherine of Aragon and Lady Jane Grey, to Queen Victoria's contemporaries Yaa Asantewaa of Ghana and Queen Lili'uokalani of Hawaii, and right up to Princess Diana, this is a thrilling, globe-spanning story of queens and royal woman, of female power through the ages that unlocks how we understand women, politics and power today.
'Erudite, clever, brilliant' KATE MOSSE
'A royal smash. Kate Williams is at the top of her game' KATE LISTER
'A fascinating and excellent chronicle of female rulers' SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE
'Williams enlarges our past, transforming our understanding of power' DAN SNOW
Stories about royal women form some of our most foundational myths about femininity, and yet their legacies have been almost entirely constructed by the words and images created by men.
In Regina, acclaimed historian Kate Williams leads us deep into a world of queens, empresses, princesses, mistresses and courtiers, uncovering how their ambitions were shaped, celebrated and often thwarted, exposing a tangled web of women and power that spans thousands of years.
Ranging from the ancient civilisations of Egypt and Mesopotamia to the opulent courts of the pre-modern world and the last days of colonialism, Williams delves into the lives of these remarkable women, revealing both their trials and triumphs as they navigate political intrigue, family rivalries and personal sacrifices.
From Hatshepsut and Boudica, through Tudor queens Catherine of Aragon and Lady Jane Grey, to Queen Victoria's contemporaries Yaa Asantewaa of Ghana and Queen Lili'uokalani of Hawaii, and right up to Princess Diana, this is a thrilling, globe-spanning story of queens and royal woman, of female power through the ages that unlocks how we understand women, politics and power today.
From Cleopatra to Grace Kelly, an epic new history of royal women that shatters the myths we have built around them.
'Erudite, clever, brilliant' KATE MOSSE
'A royal smash. Kate Williams is at the top of her game' KATE LISTER
'A fascinating and excellent chronicle of female rulers' SIMON SEBAG M...
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About the author
PROFESSOR KATE WILLIAMS is an award-winning author, historian and broadcaster. Her eleven historical books include Rival Queens, The Royal Palaces and the New York Times-bestselling Becoming Queen. She has presented many TV series on the BBC and Channel 5, including Restoration Home, Inside Versailles and Secrets of the Royal Palaces, and is CNN's in-house historian, as well as hosting the podcast Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things. She has been a consultant on historical films and TV series, as well as for the Royal Mint, and has won Celebrity Pointless, Mastermind, Antiques Road Trip and House of Games. She has also appeared on The Wheel, The Great British Bake Off and Would I Lie To You. Kate Williams has a DPhil from Oxford and is currently Professor of History at the University of Reading. Her greatest love is a dusty document.
PROFESSOR KATE WILLIAMS is an award-winning author, historian and broadcaster. Her eleven historical books include Rival Queens, The Royal Palaces and the New York Times-bestselling Becoming Queen. She has presented many TV series on the BBC and Channel 5, including Restoration Home, Inside Versa...
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