The New Murrey and Blue blog

We all know the well-trodden vistas of the kings and queens of England but what about those of the kings and queens we nearly had? In my new book, Uncrowned: Royal Heirs Who Didn’t Take The Throne, I charter the lives of twenty-five heirs apparent and presumptive who nature had destined to one day wear the diadem of England and later, Great Britain, but who, for various reasons, never assumed their birthright. Beginning with Robert II, Duke of Normandy, the hapless eldest son of William the Conqueror who was twice barred from the throne, we proceed through nearly one thousand years of history up to the present day. Included amongst the roster of characters are William Aetheling, the tragic son and heir of King Henry I whose premature death at the sinking of the White Ship sparked off the civil war known as the Anarchy, Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince, whose exploits during the Hundred Years War are legendary and Mary, Queen of Scots, who not only lost the crown of Scotland but also her head. Along the way we will investigate how the rules of succession have changed over the centuries. Think the succession was simple? Think again!