We should be surprised? She would 'smile in your face, all while wanting to take your place'...no different today; unscrupulous, duplicitous, manipulative, and primarily deceptive.

TheRockofAges, Tampa, USA/Fl

The 'real' Mary Queen of Scots depicted here is nobody new; she's always shadowed the image of the idealized one that this new gynecology report purports to debunk. It's this duality, more than one image of Mary over the other, that is responsible for Mary's enduring vitality in the western imagination. Readers may be interested in Sophia Lee's 1783-5 novel, "The Recess," which imagines these twins having been born after all, to be brought up in an underground grotto. 'Their' Mary is closer to the saint of some legends, but that doesn't preclude a complicated gynecological history.

Jayne Lewis
University of California, Irvine
author of "Mary Queen of Scots: Romance and Nation"

Jayne Lewis, irvine, california usa

I read responses to the press resport of my paper with interest and should like to make some comments myself. Mary was most certainly held at Tutbury Castle 4 times, check the recent British Museum research project which confirms this. Mary was not held in the Tower of London and my article does not state she did.I am not responsible for spelling errors in the press report.IOf course miscarriage was known before 12 weeks, the point is, Mary claimed to be 7 weeks pregnant and it was clear she had aborted twins according to Nau - I am advised she could not know it was a twin loss if she were only 7 weeks pregnant. There was also "great flux" and great loss of blood. My paper is titled "The Daughter of Debate". I am particularly interested to note how many still have such strong views about Mary. so the title of my paper still applies.

Lesley Smith, Tutbury, England

On reading this one cannot help but see a parralel between today's celebrities and models (of the 'big brother' set). It is interesting to see that we arent the first generation 'carry on' in suhc a fashion.

SOPHOCLES, CHARD, England

Perhaps the theory is true, but the “scientist” is a quack.
What nonsense!
Physicians could well know what a miscarriage was even earlier than 12 weeks.
At 12 weeks they could easily tell if they were twins or not. Most physicians then were as, if not more, experienced due to how common miscarriages were.
Please read your medical history and know your embryology.

M, Milwaukee, USA

There is no such thing as history that we know but the one we will never know. This is a tragedy of life because indicative of people and events we would treasure to meet but instead find beyond our reach. Philosophy of life is fouled up by philosophy of death.

Vlad, toronto, canada

So everyones an historian. The article does not say Mary spent 19 years in the tower, but rather 19 years imprisoned in England. She was also imprisoned at Tutbury four times as well as many other homes and castles. Lesley Smith is a very good historian.

C Cullen, Rochdale, Lancs

Elizabeth I was jealous of Mary and had her executed having
spent 19 years a prisoner. Come on. You English had
better face the fact that Elizabeth has this mark on her
character for all time. What could Mary do held in captivity for
all those years? It was a sad fate for an extraordinary
woman. The English always want to blacklist Mary to
justify Elizabeth's rotten deed. Her tomb in Westminister
Abbey is so lovely compared to Elizabeth's which Mary's
son had erected to her memory. It is empty as her body
was thrown into quick lime after her execution.

katherine little, los angeles, california,

Rewriting intimate history after a gap of 400 years is an unreliable business. We do not know that Mary herself claimed to have been delivered of twins. The claim may have been made by others.

Christoph, London,

...and one other small thing. Mary and Darnley were not first cousins. They both were descended from Henry VII of England. Mary was his great grandaughter and Darnley his great grandson.

john maguire, brighton, england

I had a natural miscarriage at 12 weeks and it was fairly easy to identify one foetus. The existence of two foetuses at that stage wouldn't have required much more than a pair of eyes.

Eve, England,

The author of this farrago cannot even spell "adulteress".

Thomas Fuller, Bath,

This article seem to be somewhat historically inaccurate. Mary did not spend 19 years in the Tower, she may have been imprisoned there for a while (if at all), but was elsewhere for the majority of her imprisonment. Also, other posters are correct, she was but a small child when her mother Mary de Guise promised her to the French Dauphin.

Queen Elizabeth I probably disliked her cousin for many reasons, but her "loose morals" were probably the least of them. Mary's choice to marry Darnley, an English subject, with a claim to the English throne was certainly one of them. This marriage bolstered Mary and her future children's claim to the English throne, due to Mary and Darnley's shared grandmother (Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII's sister).

With all of the fascination surrounding the Tudors, I see another historically inaccurate Hollywood movie in the making, or should I say in the re-making (as there have already been several made on Mary, Queen of Scots).

Mary, Atlanta, USA

Mary was imprisoned in Loch Leven (not Levan) castle in Scotland and in Fotheringay Castle (not Tutbury Castle) in England

Bill Dryden, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

I have always admired Elizabeth the first, and have found it difficult to believe that she had her own cousin executed without a very valid motive. Mary queen of scots, was not the fair damsel in distress as she was so often portrayed......i believe she truly did plot to try to take the british throne.....and therefore HAD to be executed.

annamaria greenall, Rome, Italy

Interesting. It does seem a bit strange to think that a queen could be forcibly kidnapped and raped, but maybe it could have happened. I don't think Mary Stuart was in control of the situation. She always seems to me to have been at the mercy of the Scottish nobility and out of her depth unlike her English counterpart, Elizabeth, who commanded more respect.

M, Beds,

So obstetrical/midwifery standards were "low" in the time of Mary Queen of Scots? Nothing's changed then.

Peri, Liverpool,

The writer is neither a quality historian nor does he have any knowledge of biology.

A blind person could recognizes a twelve week old foetus. and certainly if there were twins they could be seen.

Lets hope he doesn't write a book on the death of Diana.

Frank Madigan, Capreol, Canada

Adultress, trollop and liar?

Can we please hear MARY'S side of the story?

Garth Strong, San Diego, USA

If that portrait is an accurate reflection of how Mary Queen of Scots really looked then I don't see here as being the least bit attractive.

minnie, Al Khobar, saudi arabia

It was an arranged marriage! She had little choice in the matter and was shipped off to France.In effect she probably was the architecht of her own downfall. The question is, did the signing of her death warrant constitute an act of regicide or was it a political necessity???? And was she abandoned by her son in the end???
Read Fraser's biography for the definitive account but Jane Dunn's work Elizabeth and Mary gives a great insight into the relationship between the two.

Jade, Dublin, Ireland,

How good it is to have these insights and to know that objective historical research still survives at a time when history, fiction and propaganda merge without impediment.

As a French specialist, I got my closest acquaintanceship with Mary from the historical account given as background by Mme de Lafayette in her novel “La Princesse de Clèves”. I could never really imagine how a girl of sixteen could so dominate the French court. The vivid physical description you give of the Dauphiness has made me understand the power of her presence.

Mme de Lafayette had no axe to grind but her picture of the adventurous, amoral , ruthless, reckless young princess fits with adult queen as described in the title of your column.

I have a summary of the book written for my students posted at
http://82.110.105.88/d-barfield.co.uk/Mme%20de%20Lafayette%20frontpage.html

David Barfield, Greater Manchester, UK

Fatal Majesty by Reay Tannahill about "The Drama of Mary Queen of Scots" is a fantastic read and full of intrigue too. It would be wonderful to know the real story.

Vivienne, Palma, Mallorca, Spain

What worried Elizabeth I was not the Queen of Scots morals but her politics.
Her mother was of the family behind the massacre of French Protestants in Paris (St Batholomew eve).
Mary had after all also been Queen of France but the best irony of all was mother to "The wisest fool in Christendom"
And they say dysfunctional families are a modern invention.

Peter Bolt, Redditch, UK

Another royal tale shrouded in intrigue, with plenty of room for conspiracy and speculation. The perfect recipe for a good historical novel. I look forward to reading the marvellous Philippa Gregory's latest book that comes out later in the year, this time with Mary Queen Of Scots as the subject!

Andrew Bullock, Windsor, Berkshire

"after a 19 year stay in the Tower" - Rubbish! She did not spend 19 years in the Tower. As for "Instead she promises to marry the French Dauphin and flees to France" - she was 5 for pete's sake! It was her mother who arranged the marriage.
And far from being ignored by other monarchs, in 1570, Elizabeth was persuaded by representatives of Charles IX of France to promise to help Mary regain her throne but this fell through due to Mary's intransigence.
I can't claim to be a fan of Mary but this is not a well written piece of history.

Charles Addison, Glasgow,

Whatever you do, don't tell Al Fayed.

Mike L, Chippenham, Wilts

Hwenry VIII's genes would have been more directly paased to his daughters neither of whom behaved much like this report.

Roger Tilbury, Worthing,

Perhaps it was in the genes and she took after her relative HENRY VIII !!!!

Ian Payne, WALSALL,