Hunchbacked Richard III, the Virgin Queen Elizabeth I, the grieving widow Victoria, and the romatic who gave up his throne for love, Edward VIII - often the colourful kings and queens of England seem like mere caricature, while less familiar rulers like William IV or Henry VI have faded into the shadows of history. The author presents these rulers such as - the puny Charles I, nervous, tense and socially awkward, the frail slight Richard II, melancholic and sad, the homosexual James I with his handsome favourites, and the stuttering William II.