Not Just the Tudors – Queen Anne: The Last Stuart Monarch (March 2, 2026)

Host: Professor Suzannah Lipscomb
Guest: Lady Anne Somerset

Overview

In this episode, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Lady Anne Somerset to reassess the life and legacy of Queen Anne, the last Stuart monarch of Britain. Contrary to popular caricature, Anne emerges as a diligent, resilient, and underrated ruler who shepherded the country through war, unprecedented personal loss, political intrigue, and the forging of Great Britain. Drawing on Lady Anne Somerset’s book, Queen Anne, the Last Stuart Monarch, the conversation peels back layers of myth and explores the truth about Queen Anne’s reign, personality, relationships, and achievements.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Queen Anne’s Reputation and Lady Anne Somerset’s Interest in Her

[05:44 – 07:58]

• Lady Anne Somerset reveals her first interest in Anne came via the study of ladies at court:
  Quote: "Queen Anne is in fact very likable, very underrated. And I'd really like to try and sort of redress the balance and change the perceptions that one has of her, which very largely derive from this sort of completely distorted picture that Sarah Churchill portrayed of her and which has, you know, gone down in history as the correct version." (Lady Anne Somerset, 06:34)
• She counters the traditional view of Anne as weak or easily led, arguing that Anne’s own letters reflect rationality and independence.

2. The Paradox of Public Image vs. Physical Reality

[07:58 – 10:41]

• Anne lived with chronic illness (likely lupus and arthritis), often appearing frail, overweight, and in pain.
• Despite this, Anne was conscious of her royal image, dressing regally when she could, and hiding her infirmity as much as possible.
  Memorable anecdote: A court visitor was shocked to see “her feet bound up in rather sort of grubby bandages... What an extraordinary thing, poor infirm woman, the idea that you're this powerful ruler.” (Lady Anne Somerset, 09:38)

3. Historical Reputation and Visibility

[10:41 – 11:50]

• Anne’s lack of glamour, limited mass media, and negative portrayals—particularly by Sarah Churchill—led to a reputation of being “deeply dull, deeply limited... pretty stupid." (Lady Anne Somerset, 11:29)
• Achievements of her reign are often overlooked or attributed to others.

4. Anne’s Tragic Personal Life and Faith

[11:50 – 14:58]

• Anne suffered 17 pregnancies with only one child surviving past infancy, who died at age 11. Likely cause: Hughes (antiphospholipid) syndrome.
• Faith was essential to her endurance: “She was a passionate Anglican... [devotional literature] does sustain her... enables her, when she then inherits the throne, to sort of come out of the seclusion and face the challenges that being a ruler entailed.” (Lady Anne Somerset, 14:16)

5. Prince George of Denmark: Supportive Consort

[14:58 – 17:56]

• George is often seen as boring, thanks to Charles II’s famous line: “I’ve tried him drunk and I’ve tried him sober and there’s nothing in him.”
• Despite this reputation, Lady Anne argues that George was a source of stability and good advice for Anne.
• Sarah Churchill’s disparagement has unfairly colored his legacy.

6. Anne’s Relationships with Sarah Churchill and Abigail Masham

[17:56 – 27:55]

• Anne’s close friendship with Sarah Churchill began as an “adolescent crush.”
• Sarah was charismatic, clever, and knew the benefits of royal favor.
• The emotional intensity and passionate language in Anne’s letters reflect the style of 17th-century women’s friendships, not necessarily sexual relationships:
  Quote: “I mean, she says sort of, I'll love you to the end of my days, you know, I'll never betray you till I'm in my coffin...” (Lady Anne Somerset, 23:27)
• Political breakdown led Sarah to accuse Anne of a lesbian affair with Abigail Masham, mostly for political leverage:
  Quote: “Sarah is maintaining that Anne is in the throes of a lesbian relationship with Abigail Masham. So it doesn't sort of accord with her ideas that Anne is upset at her husband's parting. And so she says sort of, oh, she didn't mind at all… Again, this is, you know, the most monstrous lie...” (Lady Anne Somerset, 16:43)
• These accusations were not widely believed at the time, and Sarah’s motivations were political, aimed at undermining Anne and regaining influence.

7. Anne as a Political Actor

[27:55 – 29:46]

• Anne attended more cabinet meetings than any previous monarch, a fact often overlooked because of stereotypes about her abilities.
  Quote: “She was consulted and informed more about sort of war logistics, war strategy than I sort of assumed would have been the case, and… she did sometimes... disagree with something that had been suggested to her...” (Lady Anne Somerset, 28:45)
• While not running government singlehandedly, she was an active participant and not merely a figurehead.

8. Political Moderation and Party Balance

[30:58 – 33:21]

• Anne’s strategy was to prevent domination by any single party (Whigs or Tories), resisting pressure to deliver all government posts to one faction.
• She is often accused of favoring Tories, but in reality, worked to maintain balance and autonomy for the monarchy.

9. Creation of Great Britain and the 1707 Union

[33:21 – 35:43]

• Anne consistently advocated for Union with Scotland to secure a stable Protestant succession.
• Despite opposition and riot, she supported Scottish commissioners and played an active role in passing the union, which abolished the Scottish Parliament.
  Quote: “Anne is absolutely indicating that they can count on her support, that anything they need from her they will have..." (Lady Anne Somerset, 34:53)

10. Jacobitism and Anne’s Political Vulnerability

[35:43 – 39:41]

• Rumors unfairly linked Anne to Jacobitism (restoring the Catholic Stuart line), even though evidence was scant.
• Jacobites pinned hopes on her guilt, while English politicians stoked doubts to curry favor with the Hanovers.
• Anne didn’t want rival courts in England and was misrepresented as hostile to Hanoverian heirs.

11. Anne’s Personal Reflections and Legacy

[39:41 – 41:57]

• Near the end of her life, Anne felt frustrated by self-serving ministers and misrepresentation as a Jacobite sympathizer.
• While proud of winning the war and the union, she was distressed by how history and political opponents mischaracterized her actions and motivations.

12. Final Reassessment

[41:57 – 42:45]

• Lady Anne emphasizes that Queen Anne should not be defined by her personal tragedies or by hostile accounts like Sarah Churchill’s.
  Quote: "I think that she's been a very underrated queen... She shouldn't be defined solely in the terms of the personal tragedy of her failed motherhood... whenever you read any account of Queen Anne deriving from the writings of Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, I think you have to take a very, very skeptical approach." (Lady Anne Somerset, 42:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On rehabilitating Queen Anne’s image:
  "Queen Anne is in fact very likable, very underrated. And I'd really like to try and sort of redress the balance..." (Lady Anne Somerset, 06:34)
• On her faith after family tragedy:
  "...her faith that enables her, when she then inherits the throne, to sort of come out of the seclusion and face the challenges that being a ruler entailed." (Lady Anne Somerset, 14:16)
• On the legacy of Sarah Churchill’s negative portrayal:
  "I think that whenever you read any account of Queen Anne deriving from the writings of Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, I think you have to take a very, very skeptical approach." (Lady Anne Somerset, 42:33)
• On being a monarch in pain:
  "She did her best to hide from her people quite how ill she was, but that it wasn't always possible to project an image of great regality and power." (Lady Anne Somerset, 10:14)
• On Anne’s true political influence:
  "...she did sometimes, you know, disagree with something that had been suggested to her and, you know, she had quite a lot of input." (Lady Anne Somerset, 28:52)

Key Timestamps

• 05:44–07:58 – Lady Anne Somerset’s motivation to write about Queen Anne
• 08:22–10:41 – Discussion of Anne’s health and public image
• 11:50–14:58 – Anne’s reproductive tragedies and faith
• 14:58–17:56 – The misunderstood Prince George of Denmark
• 17:56–27:55 – The emotional and political dynamics with Sarah Churchill and Abigail Masham
• 27:55–29:46 – Anne’s involvement in cabinet and political agency
• 30:58–33:21 – Balancing Whigs and Tories, pushing moderation
• 33:21–35:43 – The Union with Scotland and Anne’s role
• 35:43–39:41 – Jacobitism and political suspicion
• 41:57–42:45 – Lady Anne Somerset’s final thoughts on Anne’s legacy

Conclusion

This episode offers a thorough and empathetic re-examination of Queen Anne’s reign, dismantling persistent myths and restoring her as a monarch of substance, resolve, and historical consequence. Listeners are invited to move beyond caricatures—especially those popularized by Sarah Churchill—and recognize Anne’s moderation, resilience, and crucial contributions to British history.