Lucy Worsley brings readers close to historical lives through biography, buildings and the traces people leave behind. If you enjoy a history book that makes you want to revisit a palace, reread a novelist or reconsider a familiar monarch, a festival conversation offers another chance to follow that curiosity.
Quick facts
Best known for
Historical biographies and history broadcasting
Genre or subject
Historical biography and British royal history
Latest book
Queens and Kings: An Unusually Personal History (2026), Hodder & Stoughton
Worsley is a historian, presenter and author who writes for a general readership. Her professional work has included interpreting royal palaces, connecting the rooms and objects visitors can see with the people who used them. That interest carries into historical biography, where a household or a day can bring a distant life into focus.
Her latest book, Queens and Kings: An Unusually Personal History, was published by Hodder & Stoughton in September 2026. It follows rulers and royal places across a thousand years, drawing on her work with historic palaces. For a reader interested in both a place and the people who inhabited it, the book brings those attractions together.
Where to start with their books
Agatha Christie
Worsley uses letters, papers and places to build a life of the novelist behind the mysteries. It is a starting point for a Christie reader interested in the person who wrote the books, with biography taking the place of another fictional investigation.
Queen Victoria
Twenty-four days provide windows into the monarch’s long life, drawing on diaries and letters. That structure lets a reader stay with changing roles and decisions instead of approaching the biography as a continuous record of a reign.
Jane Austen at Home
The homes where Austen lived and worked offer a way into her life and writing. Pick this if the connection between an author and everyday surroundings is what makes biography come alive for you.
Festival appearances
For tickets, use the host festival’s official box office. Confirm the date, venue and access details before paying.
Her biographies and broadcasting bring a mixture of readers into a room: someone interested in a monarch’s political role, a novelist’s working life or a palace they have visited. Going with a companion whose interest differs from yours can give you more to talk about afterwards.
Where to see them next
No 2027 appearances announced yet. Check the festival guides for programme dates.
Plan your trip
Choose a historical person or place that you would like to understand better, and take that curiosity with you. You can enjoy a conversation about history without memorising a chronology; a passage that surprised you may prompt a better question than a long list of dates.
If you want to combine a book event with sightseeing, give the talk its own breathing space in the day. Leave time to reach the venue and eat before sitting down. For an overnight visit, the linked festival guides help you choose a base and plan the return journey.
The 2026 programmes featured Lucy Worsley at Cheltenham Literature Festival, Henley Literary Festival; follow those guides for event information and practical visit details.
Do I need to know a lot of history before attending?
No specialist preparation is needed to take an interest in a life from the past. A book, a television programme or a place you have visited can give you a starting point for listening and talking afterwards.
Which Worsley biography should I read first?
Choose the subject you are most curious about. The three suggestions here approach a novelist, a crime writer and a monarch, so you can begin with an interest you already have and follow the reading from there.
How do I buy tickets to hear Worsley?
Use the festival links on Lucy Worsley’s profile for the event’s own ticket and audience guidance.
Can I have a book signed at the event?
Ask the festival about signing plans before making that part of your day. A conversation with the author can still be the centre of a good outing; leave time afterwards to discuss it over a drink with your companion.
