Research Interests
Tudor History - Elizabethan Studies - Queenship Studies - Monarchical Representations - Anglo-French Relations - Diplomatic Studies
Latest News

BLOOD FIRE & GOLD: Elizabeth I of England and her French Rival, Catherine de Medici
Ebury Publishing pre-empts biography of two sixteenth-century queens.
The book will explore the relationship between the British and French queens from their rivalry to their friendship, as well as how they wielded and negotiated power in the 16th century.
Drury commented: "From the opening page of Estelle’s proposal I was completely compelled. When we think of Elizabeth’s rivalries, we often think of Mary Stuart — but in fact Elizabeth’s long association with Catherine de Medici tells us even more about her character, and her style of leadership. In Estelle’s vivid storytelling, which has the colour and pace of the best historical fiction, we’ll discover a new side to one of Britain’s best-known monarchs. It will be a brilliant book and we can't wait to publish it."
Academic Monograph:
Academic latest edited collection:
Remembering Queens and Kings in Early Modern France and England: Reputation, Reinterpretation, and Reincarnation (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019) - paperback published in August 2020
Academic latest journal article:
Catherine de Medici’s Grandmotherhood: The Building of Emotional and Political Intergenerational Relationships, Renaissance Studies Journal, Vol. 34:3; 412-429.
Public Engagement:
23 June 2020: Wellcome Collection: "The Celebrity Physician and the Plague"
18 June 2020: BBC News and BBC World News: French Resistance Anniversary
20 May 2020: ARTUK Charles de Lorme: French Physician and Inventor of the "Plague Prevention Costume"
13 May 2020: The Valois Dynasty - HistoryHit Youtube Live
Upcoming Projects
Next academic research project:
Royal Favourites
Scandal and Political Allegiances at Early Modern Courts
In preparation.
Academic journal article:
'Devotion, Influence, and Loyalty: Re-evaluating Queen Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont's political and diplomatic role in early modern France', accepted in Early Modern Women Journal, forthcoming 2021.