4 Kernels

I love Lucy.  Just to clarify, that’s not Lucille Ball (although I do like her). I mean I love Lucy Worsley, a wonderful woman who teaches us history with flare in her docuseries that occasionally roll on PBS.  Her latest one, Royal Myths & Secrets is far too short with only three episodes.  If you are a history buff, period drama buff, or just love Lucy, you need to tune into the latest of her many series.

This time around she’s out to bust the myths and tell some secrets about a few royals of the past; mainly, Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Anne, and Marie Antoinette. Each episode Lucy dresses up in period costumes to participate in a few re-enactment scenes to be part of the story.

What is so great about this series? She blows out of the water a lot of Hollywood fluff on what truly happened with these famous women on the throne. I think my biggest disappointment was Queen Elizabeth I and her famous warrior speech as the Spanish armada sailed toward England, so gallantly portrayed by Kate Blanchett on the big screen. Rats! It didn’t happen that way, oh, well. And who knew that France went bankrupt because they helped the colonies during the Revolutionary War?  News to me.  And poor Marie never said the words, telling the poor peasants, “Let them eat cake!”  And let’s not forget the recent movie The Favorite.  Was Queen Anne really a . . . ?

If you missed the shows, you can see it on PBS Passport or view on Amazon for $2.99 a pop.  Hey, you spend more than that on coffee or tea at Starbucks.

Needless to say, Lucy has been putting on these great shows since 2009.  To see the long list from the past, visit Wikipedia – Lucy Worsley.  Besides being a hoot of a host on these episodes, Lucy is the Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces.

See, history doesn’t have to be boring! With the right presenter, it’s actually a lot of fun.  So go eat cake, have a cup of tea, and enjoy it.