Price of a Princess: Mary Stewart 1

After young James the Third’s accession to the Scottish throne, the ambitious Boyd family of Kilmarnock seized power in a bloodless coup. Mary Stewart, James’ eldest sister, was at first unwilling to marry Thomas Boyd, future Earl of Arran - but she had now choice.

Eventually, however, she learned to love him, and when he was sent to the Danish court to negotiate with King Christian, she discovered a unique talent for diplomacy. In exchange for Princess Margaret of Denmark marrying her brother, Princess Mary at length persuaded the Danes to hand over the islands of Orkney and Shetland to Scottish dominion.

But when the fortunes of the all-powerful Boyd family took a turn for the worse, Mary was to find herself in an extremely awkward and dangerous position … .

‘Through his imaginative dialogue, he provides a voice for Scotland’s heroes’ Scotland on Sunday