Times Feature as well, but I'm excited to learn more about Mary and your new book.

So let me just introduce you quickly.

Melita Thomas is the co-founder and editor of Tudor Times, a repository of information about the Tudors and Stewards in the period from

1485 to 1625 at TudorTimes.co.uk.

Melita's loved history ever since being mesmerized by the BBC productions of the Six Wives

of N.R. and Elizabeth R. when she was a little girl. And after that, she read everything she could get her hands on about this most fascinating of dynasties.

She was captivated by the story of Lady Margaret galloping to Framingham to set up her standard and fight for her rights.

And she began her first book about the Queen when she was nine.

The manuscript is probably

still in the attic. Well, I hope you can find it complaint. So welcome. Thank you for being here

and what can you tell us about Mary and about your book? Right. Well, first of all, I'd like to

thank you, Heather and England cast for inviting me to take part in this inaugural Tudor summit.

And today I'll be discussing my new book, The Kings Pearl, which is about the youth of England's first queen,

regnant Mary, and her relationship with her father, Henry Gia.

As you mentioned, I've been fascinated by the story of Mary since I was a little girl, first

seeing her on the BBC TV series, Elizabeth R, and then through the wonderful trilogy of novels

by Hilda Lewis, which I don't know if you've read, but she was a great writer, and I begged

my mother to buy these books for me about Mary.

My mother was somewhat reluctant

since I was nine years old and obviously the books had difficult themes, but she was

talked into it and I entered the Tudor world even more closely than through the television

screen. And I continued to be intrigued by the story of how Mary, even though she was only 17, stood up to Henry VIII, Cromwell, and Berlin, and the whole might of the English government for three years before eventually being bullied into submission.

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