Hello, I'm Charlie Higson and I've written a book about our glorious monarchy, a tale packed with battles, scandals and the occasional beheading.

From Harold getting an arrow in the eye to Henry V, giving the French a good whacking, and of course Henry VIII, who made marriage a full-time occupation, all the way up to Charles III, who frankly seems rather well behaved compared to

the rest of them. It's called Willie Willie Harry Stee with brilliant illustrations by Vic

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It began quietly, just a sniffle, a headache, the sort of thing you'd shrug off after a long day of audiences and state papers. But by nightfall, on October

the 10th, 1562, Queen Elizabeth I was burning with fever in her chambers at Hampton Court Palace.

Outside her room, courtiers whispered in panic. The smell of vinegar filled the halls. They believed it could ward off

infections. Physicians bustled in and out, shaking their heads, trying every remedy they could

think of. Herbs, barley water, prayers. And through the night, as the queen tossed and raved,

one terrifying question hung over England.

If Elizabeth dies, who will rule next? Because this, my friend, was not just a royal cold. It was

smallpox, the same disease that had claimed kings, scarred countless faces, and terrified Europe for centuries.

The queen was only 29 at the height of her power and her charm, but she was also the last

living child of Henry VIII, and there was no heir. Her death could throw the realm into chaos. So, my friend, get cozy, grab a beverage, a

coffee, or some water, and settle in because today we are going to talk about the time when Elizabeth

...