The Queens of Somerset House

A series inspired by the history of Somerset House and the Queens who resided there when it was a palace, from the mid 16th Century to the beginning of the 18th Century. The Queens included Elizabeth I (reign 1558 – 1603) daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, who establishment the English Protestant church and is sometimes referred to as the Virgin Queen. Anne of Denmark (1574- 1619) wife of James I who oversaw the terracing of the gardens and introduction of the orangery. Henrietta Maria of France (1609-1669) wife of Charles I, who although modest externally, opened the most elaborate Roman Catholic chapel in a particularly grand ceremony in 1636. Catherine of Braganza (1638-1705) wife of Charles II, who commissioned a refurbishment by Christopher Wren and opened the River Terrace to the public, then painted by Canaletto twice in c175