Arbella Stewart was one of the potential heirs to Elizabeth the First Throne.

But in many ways, she was forgotten, both in her lifetime and by history.

During much of her life, Arbella was controlled, not by men, but by the powerful women who pulled

the strings of her fate.

She was brought up in the belief that she would one day be queen, and yet she lived in obscurity

for years, a shadowy figure in the Elizabethan succession.

Today, she's mostly disregarded by history, or worse, dismissed as a hysterical woman,

even implicitly blamed for her tragic life.

But what about the real woman behind the air that could have been queen? Did she seek the crown?

Or was she completely controlled by the forces around her?

I'm Chief Historian Tracy Borman, and today we're going to bring our Ballast Stewart's forgotten story back to life.

Welcome back, listeners. We're now in episode three of the Stolen Tudor Crown series.

And I am absolutely thrilled because I have a special guest today. I am joined by historian,

author, broadcaster, the prolific Sarah Gristwood, who is also the biographer

of Arbella Stewart. The last major biography of this fascinating woman was written by Sarah.

So thank you for joining me today. Thank you. And we are back in the Great Hall at Hampton Court. It's a space I know

you're familiar with, but how does it feel? Oh, you never get over the shock of it, do you?

Coming into this well, I was going to say room, but room seems completely the wrong word, this creation. Yes, Henry the 8th did some good. I think we can say.

Is it a space, do you know, that Arbella would have experienced? She absolutely would have. Later in her

life when she came to the court of her cousin, James. But then a number of her letters, amazing letters,

are dated from Hampton,

and that presents of deer sent to her,

...