Free Republic

“Mary Queen of Scots” is director Josie Rourke’s historical retelling of one of the most fraught and interesting periods of the Elizabethan era. But how much of it is fact and how much is fiction? The film, which is written by Beau Willimon (“House of Cards”) and based on a book by John Guy, stars Saoirse Ronan in the titular role as Mary Stuart and Margot Robbie as her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. It also showcases a number of actors of color in prominent roles in both Mary’s and Elizabeth’s courts, including decorated Shakespearean actor Adrian Lester, who is...

Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, was a lying adulteress who plotted with her lover to murder her husband, an intriguing new study claims. The analysis by Lesley Smith, a medical historian, claims that Mary lied about being raped to explain her pregnancy and justify her third marriage after her second husband, Lord Darnley, was strangled in Edinburgh... Her beauty and sexual attractiveness -- at 5ft 11in, Mary was about a foot taller than the average woman -- gave her cousin Elizabeth I all the more reason to eventually execute her for treason in 1587, Ms Smith said. "All in all,...