Windsor Castle, 1714. Queen Anne has known her share of tragedy and grief: betrayed by her father; plagued by illness and obesity; cursed to lose all seventeen of her children.

Now she is dying with no living offspring, and the question of who will succeed her hangs over the court, fuelling political intrigue and fear. There are two likely successors: James Stuart, the half-brother she has always refused to acknowledge, and George of Hanover, the cousin who once turned her down for marriage.

Neither is ideal. She hates them both.

As courtiers, politicians and sycophants plot to steer...