Elizabeth wanted her Scottish cousin James to succeed her. The Union of Crowns, which Robert Cecil spearheaded (chapter 16), is historical fact. Elizabeth’s quote—I will have no rascal to succeed me, and who should succeed me but a king—is often cited as authority for her wishes. Its oblique wording is odd. Why not just simply name a successor? But if the possibility that she may have been a fraud is considered, the odd phrasing begins to make more sense. Whether Elizabeth was actually aware of the plan of succession Robert Cecil hatched with James is unknown. But most historians agree that Cecil would have never made the overtures without her blessing. The deathbed scene described in chapter 16, where she supposedly made her succession wishes clear, happened—and in 1603 the English crown passed from the Tudors to the Stuarts with no objections.
The story of what occurred while the young princess Elizabeth lived with Katherine Parr and Thomas Seymour (chapter 21), including Seymour’s unseemly advances, was quite the scandal. Parr did eventually send the princess away and wrote a letter, which was delivered to Elizabeth a few months after Parr’s untimely death (chapter 21). I modified its wording to fit this story. Parr, though, would have been the only person (outside the conspirators) who could have discovered any switch. Unlike Henry VIII, Parr spent a great deal of time with the young Elizabeth (chapter 52). The former queen also harbored a deep resentment toward anything and everything related to her late husband Henry VIII. So it is unlikely she would have revealed anything she may have known.
Henry FitzRoy was the illegitimate firstborn son of Henry VIII (chapter 40). All of the details recounted about FitzRoy, including his marriage to Mary Howard, are correct. Whether FitzRoy fathered a child before dying at age 16 is unknown. All agree, though, that FitzRoy physically resembled the Tudors, so it’s logical that any child of his would be similar. As detailed in chapter 38, only Henry VIII’s secondborn, Mary, lived into her forties. All of Henry’s other known offspring died before the age of twenty. Yet Elizabeth lived to age 70, even surviving a bout with smallpox early in her reign (chapter 38)—most uncharacteristic for a child of Henry VIII.
Bram Stoker’s book Famous Impostors, published in 1910 (chapters 25 and 26), is the first printed account of the Bisley Boy legend. The italicized text in chapter 27 is quoted directly from Stoker’s book. The New York Times’ opinion of the book—tommyrot—is also correctly quoted (chapter 38).
I heard the Bisley Boy tale during a visit to the village of Ely, north of London. Stoker was the first in print to link the legend to Henry FitzRoy. Whether the story is truth or fiction we will never know. What is known is that the people of Bisley, for centuries, on May 1 each year, paraded a small boy through the streets dressed in Elizabethan costume (chapter 27).
Why do that?
No one knows.
But the Westminster tomb of Elizabeth and her half sister, Mary, has never been opened. If the remains of the young princess, who may have died at age 13, lie within, the application of modern science could easily solve this riddle.
Research for this novel involved studying around 300 books on Elizabeth I. Many were filled with inexplicable statements, like the one quoted in chapter 38, an excerpt taken verbatim from a 1929 American volume, Queen Elizabeth, by Katherine Anthony. The final line certainly resonates. She went to her grave with her secret inviolate. The author provided no revelations or explanations for any secret, leaving the reader to only wonder.
Which is the same for the Rainbow Portrait (title page and chapter 63).
Robert Cecil himself commissioned the painting, which was not completed until after Elizabeth I’s death in 1603. The portrait still hangs in Hatfield House, replete with all of the symbolism explained in chapter 63. The Latin phrase on its face—NON SINE SOLE IRIS—NO RAINBOW WITHOUT THE SUN—is made all the more interesting in light of the Bisley Boy legend.
If, indeed, Elizabeth I was not who she purported to be, the legal reality is that everything done during that long reign would be void (chapters 49, 56, and 63). That would include all of the massive land seizures that happened in Ireland, much of which eventually formed the country of Northern Ireland (chapter 56). Thousands of Protestant immigrants were granted royal land titles from Elizabeth, every one of which would now be called into question. The Troubles happened (chapters 56, 57, and 59). Thousands died from decades of violence. Prior to 1970 tens of thousands more died in the conflict between Unionists and Nationalists that traces its roots directly back to Elizabeth I. Most observers agree that the hate within Northern Ireland has not disappeared. It merely simmers, both sides waiting for a good reason to start fighting again.
What better one than the entire English presence there being based on a lie?
Elizabeth McGuire in chapter 63 made clear to Cotton Malone that history matters.
And she was right.
For Jessica Johns and Esther Garver
Acknowledgments
For the 12th time, my sincere thanks to Gina Centrello, Libby McGuire, Kim Hovey, Cindy Murray, Scott Shannon, Debbie Aroff, Carole Lowenstein, Matt Schwartz, and everyone in Promotions and Sales. It’s an honor to be part of Ballantine Books and the Random House Publishing Group team.
A special bow to Mark Tavani—who has a way of squeezing the impossible out of writers.
And Simon Lipskar, who escaped the dogs and lives on, offering more expert advice.
A few special mentions: Nick Sayers, an Oxford graduate, superb gentleman, and exceptional publisher who helped with some of the British details (though any errors are mine); Ian Williamson, British book rep extraordinaire, who showed us Oxfordshire; and Meryl Moss and her publicity team, Deb Zipf and JeriAnn Geller, the best in the business.
As always, a special thanks to my wife, Elizabeth, a muse beyond measure.
In recent books I’ve also thanked Jessica Johns and Esther Garver. Together, they keep Steve Berry Enterprises running and take a lot of the load off.
Jessica and Esther, this one’s for you.