Regina: A New History of Women in Power with Kate Williams
The Octagon Chapel, Norwich, NR3 1BN
Tuesday 14th July 2026
Kate Williams is a historian and broadcaster. A specialist in modern history, royal and constitutional affairs, she’s Professor of Modern History at Reading University. From Cleopatra to Grace Kelly, an epic new history of royal women that shatters the myths we have built around them.
About the speaker
Kate Williams is an author, social historian and broadcaster. The Storms of War, her first novel in the De Witt trilogy, was widely acclaimed. Kate loves delving into archives, collections, diaries and letters. She has a DPhil from Oxford and is the author of the novel The Pleasures of Men and four historical biographies of Emma Hamilton, Queen Victoria, Elizabeth II and Empress Josephine – which is being made into a major TV series. She is Professor of Public History at the University of Reading.
Her new book Regina: A New History of Women and Power is an enthralling historical journey that leads us into the world of queens, empresses, princesses, mistresses and ladies-in-waiting. 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.From the ancient civilisations of Egypt and Mesopotamia to the opulent courts of the pre-medieval world, REGINA delves deep into the lives of these remarkable women, uncovering 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.
Please note: refunds are only available if a show is cancelled or rescheduled, unfortunately booking fees are non-refundable.
About the speaker
Kate Williams is an author, social historian and broadcaster. The Storms of War, her first novel in the De Witt trilogy, was widely acclaimed. Kate loves delving into archives, collections, diaries and letters. She has a DPhil from Oxford and is the author of the novel The Pleasures of Men and four historical biographies of Emma Hamilton, Queen Victoria, Elizabeth II and Empress Josephine – which is being made into a major TV series. She is Professor of Public History at the University of Reading.
Her new book Regina: A New History of Women and Power is an enthralling historical journey that leads us into the world of queens, empresses, princesses, mistresses and ladies-in-waiting. 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.From the ancient civilisations of Egypt and Mesopotamia to the opulent courts of the pre-medieval world, REGINA delves deep into the lives of these remarkable women, uncovering 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.
Please note: refunds are only available if a show is cancelled or rescheduled, unfortunately booking fees are non-refundable.
