The Queen had undeniable self-confidence, and at a towering 1.8 metres tall she was a formidable figure physically and mentally. 

Her solidified status as a Queen often meant she was put above the French king’s own daughters, with her grandmother writing “it is impossible for her to be more honoured than she is”.

Mary’s childhood was luxurious, filled with servants, tutors and surrounded by cousins and pets while her cousin Elizabeth had a far less lavish upbringing. 

Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn, born into a moment of royal history already fraught with scandal and tension. 

Her mother had garnered few supporters, and in bedding the King earned many rivals and adversaries who would transfer their contempt for the queen onto her daughter.