Elizabeth took the throne of a deeply divided nation after her siblings Edward and Mary died. The Protestant queen allowed Catholics to continue with their faith so long as they were discrete and remained loyal. Peace and prosperity followed and English culture flourished.

Under Elizabeth the seeds of Empire were sown with Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh, but despite the successes the Virgin Queen had to be on her guard against numerous plots including from the Spanish King Philip II and, of course, his Armada.

Crowned queen shortly after her 18th birthday, Victoria presided over an extraordinary period of British history which saw huge industrial, social and territorial expansion. She also managed to shift the public perception of the royal family from one that saw them as wasteful and anachronistic to a valued part of British society.

She started the fashion of becoming patron to dozens of charities and supporting the arts and in doing so, became a celebrated public figure, influencing popular culture.