From Elizabeth of York - wife of Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch - through to Elizabeth I, her grand-daughter and the last in the line, this book explores some of the most colourful and dramatic women in British history. Queen consorts were central to the Royal Court but their role has rarely been examined or contrasted with the better known ruling queens. How did they behave (in and out of the bedchamber)? How powerful were they as patrons of learning and the arts? What religious views did they espouse and why? How successful and influential were they?