Regina
On sale
4th June 2026
Price: £24.99
From Cleopatra to Grace Kelly, an epic new history of royal women that shatters the myths we have built around them.
Stories about royal women form some of our most foundational myths about femininity, and yet their legacies have been almost entirely constructed by the words and images of men. In Regina, celebrated historian Kate Williams leads us deep into the world of queens, empresses, princesses, mistresses and ladies-in-waiting, uncovering how their ambitions were shaped, celebrated and often thwarted.
From the ancient civilisations of Egypt and Mesopotamia to the opulent courts of the pre-medieval world, REGINA delves into the lives of these remarkable women, revealing both their trials and triumphs as they navigate political intrigue, family rivalries and personal sacrifices. From Hatshepsut and Cleopatra, through to Tudor queens Catherine of Aragon and Lady Jane Grey, via Queen Victoria’s contemporaries Yaa Asentewaa of Ghana and Queen Lili’oukulani of Hawaii, and right up to Princess Diana, this is an unmissable history that unlocks why we think about women, politics and power in the ways that we do.
Stories about royal women form some of our most foundational myths about femininity, and yet their legacies have been almost entirely constructed by the words and images of men. In Regina, celebrated historian Kate Williams leads us deep into the world of queens, empresses, princesses, mistresses and ladies-in-waiting, uncovering how their ambitions were shaped, celebrated and often thwarted.
From the ancient civilisations of Egypt and Mesopotamia to the opulent courts of the pre-medieval world, REGINA delves into the lives of these remarkable women, revealing both their trials and triumphs as they navigate political intrigue, family rivalries and personal sacrifices. From Hatshepsut and Cleopatra, through to Tudor queens Catherine of Aragon and Lady Jane Grey, via Queen Victoria’s contemporaries Yaa Asentewaa of Ghana and Queen Lili’oukulani of Hawaii, and right up to Princess Diana, this is an unmissable history that unlocks why we think about women, politics and power in the ways that we do.
Reviews
Yet again, Williams brings history to life in the most sizzling, scintillating way, combining meticulous research with dynamo storytelling. This book is a triumph!
In a rich and incisive reimagining of the past, Kate Williams cuts through familiar cliches to offer us a dazzling, globe-spanning procession of queens to show how deeply our histories of female power have been shaped by bias. Regina is as engaging and unsettling - and as indomitable - as the remarkable women it brings to life
A fascinating and excellent chronicle of female rulers - some wildly famous, some much neglected - that is effectively a world history told through regal biographies and a guide how to be a queen, wonderfully told by a consummate historian who combines authoritative scholarship with compelling storytelling
This is so much more than a history of female rulers: it shines a dazzling, often unflattering light on how women in power have been viewed by the societies in which they lived. Brilliantly-written, thought-provoking and utterly compelling throughout, it provokes admiration and anger in equal measure. A stunning achievement
An enthralling study - and long-overdue appraisal - of many of history's most intriguing and misunderstood rulers. Though perhaps not the mot juste for a book entirely about Queens by one of our foremost (female) historians, it applies non the less: masterly
Their stories have been told through the centuries - but all too often filtered through the words of men. In Regina, Kate Williams restores what was lost in a landmark history of royal women, power and the enduring myths we were never meant to question
Regina is a thoroughly engrossing work - full to the brim with fascinating research and impassioned prose. Through an extraordinary variety of artefacts and archival material, Kate Williams demonstrates how images of queenship have been weaponised globally for time immemorial. Rich in detail and depth, vibrant and full of life
Erudite, clever, brilliant, this is a beguiling analysis of the world through the lives of 3000 years of female rulers. Essential reading for all who care about how history is made, and whose story gets to be told. Regina is a triumph
Regina reveals the invisible dynamics behind the careers of history's most visible women. In a grand, ambitious sweep through 3000 years of female power, Kate Williams incisively proves that our understanding of the queens of the past remains a vital element in defining the boundaries which still confine all women today. Forceful and urgent, Regina is also a profound work of scholarship, providing intimate, poignant portraits of both queens we think we know and many whose stories and strategies have been neglected. Kate Williams pulverises the notion that the history of men is about fact, whilst that of women concerns personality. Ruthless, brilliant, scheming, violent, treacherous, noble these queens are not heroines but something more important: individual rulers whose impact on world history is still overlooked
One of Britain's most cherished public historians and leading expert of European Elite women strikes again. From the she-king Hatshepsut, the guillotined Marie-Antoinette to the beloved Princess Diana, Williams's magnificent new book Regina takes us on an exhilarating expedition across 3000 years of women's history. Williams's exquisite signature plume confronts inherited and pervasive misogyny across continents while celebrating female monarchs and power broker's ruling methods and unique achievements. Regina is a compelling invitation to embed Women's history more strongly into World and Colonial Histories
Seductress, maniac, tyrant: just some of the labels attached to queens across the centuries. In Regina, Professor Kate WIlliams cuts through centuries of spin to reveal the often surprising realities of female rule. The result is a vivid, humane and deeply compelling history. A must-read