A book that will leave few readers unmoved.San Francisco Chronicle

She was the quintessential queen: statuesque, regal, dazzlingly beautiful. Her royal birth gave her claim to the thrones of two nations; her marriage to the young French dauphin promised to place a third glorious crown on her noble head.

Instead, Mary Stuart became the victim of her own impulsive heart, scandalizing her world with a foolish passion that would lead to abduction, rape and even murder. Betrayed by those she most trusted, she would be lured into a deadly game of power, only to lose to her envious and unforgiving cousin, Elizabeth I. Here is her story, a queen who lost a throne for love, a monarch pampered and adored even as she was led to her beheading, the unforgettable woman who became a legend for all time.

Praise for Mary Queen of Scots

She was sometimes reviled as a schemingwhore, sometimes revered as a misunderstood martyr. But she was invariably regarded as fascinating. Antonia Frasers richly readable biography demonstrates that Marys great fascination continues unabated.Time

Compassionate, illuminating, rich in human interest.The New York Times

One of the most fascinating figures in history.The Columbus Dispatch

With grace, sensitivity, and a sharp eye for detail, lady Antonia Fraser has succeeded not only in recapturing the real Mary from the symbol but also in illuminating the chaotic age in which she lived.Newsweek