QUEEN OF SCOTS BACK TO HAUNT EDINBURGH

Mary became queen of Scotland at just six weeks old, after her father James V died in 1542. Royal doctors found no cause for his death, saying he “simply lost the will to live”. As a child Mary was sent to France after her guardians secured a treaty that would marry her to Francis, Dauphin of the country. Mary changed the spelling of her surname Stewart to Stuart to make it easier for French people to say. Francis died at just 16 from an abscess, leaving Mary griefstricken and she returned to Scotland. She later married Henry Stuart, also known as Lord Darnley – who was murdered – and James Hepburn, the 4th

Earl of Bothwell.

Mary was accused of cheating with her courtier David Rizzio.

Darnley was jealous, organising a group to kill him at Holyrood Palace in

March 1566. Mary was held at gunpoint and Rizzio stabbed 57 times. A red stain believed to be his blood remains there today. The queen was very tall – about 5ft 11in. She was also thought of as a great beauty and in France was nicknamed “la plus parfaite,” or “the most perfect”.

Mary’s looks could have been down to putting white wine on her face. She had fair skin and reportedly used it as a face toner, which was common for upper-class women at the time. While imprisoned in England, earls complained about the cost of her beauty regime.

Mary sought help from her cousin to regain her Scottish throne after being forced to abdicate, but instead Elizabeth saw her as a threat and imprisoned her for 19 years. Although popular culture has depicted them as meeting face-to-face, they only corresponded by letter. Her beheading at Fotheringhay Castle was botched – Mary’s neck was hacked three times and the executioner dropped her head when he grabbed it by her wig. Her pet terrier had also hidden itself under her skirts at the execution and ran around wailing near her body. Although the pair were enemies, Mary and Elizabeth’s tombs are side by side in Westminster Abbey’s Lady Chapel. The English queen refused her cousin’s request to bury her in France and instead had her interred at Peterbrough Cathedral in a Protestant ceremony as a final indignation. But in 1621, Mary’s son King James VI – the first king of both England and Scotland – had her reburied in Westminster.

Over the years, Mary’s story has been the focus of plays, film and TV shows. Actresses who played her include Samantha Morton, Barbara Flynn and most recently Saoirse Ronan, pictured above, in the 2018 movie Mary Queen of Scots.

Mary, Queen Of Scots: The Cursed Crown is showing at The Edinburgh Dungeon as part of the attraction’s 70-minute-long tour from today.