Q&A with Lee Stuart Sheriff, editor of www.thebritishmonarchy.co.uk
Welcome to On the Tudor Trail, Lee! Tell us about yourself and your background.
I am born and bred in Leicestershire, only a short drive from where the remains of Richard III were discovered. I have worked in electrical engineering, then after redundancy I changed career and went into daycare for the elderly, eventually gaining promotion to the assistant manager role. In 2015 when my beloved mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness, I quit and cared for her full-time. I love my football and follow Leicester City. I have a pet rabbit who was my mums, and an aquarium. I love to visit historical sites, the last was Middleham castle where Richard III was raised. I also love to read and watch movies and documentaries. I may be considered boring by some, as I don’t drink. While my friends were propping up the local bar, I was out on tours of Normandy etc. I love to explore….. places not bars!
What sparked your interest in history and the British Royal Family?
I have always possessed an interest in history, right back to my childhood I wanted to know all about the Kings and Queens. My maternal grandmother was a history buff who adored Henry VIII and the whole Tudor period, so I guess I have her to thank for sparking my interest, and my mother too was very much into her history. My education was very poor to be honest, so I ended up teaching myself through endless reading.
What inspired you to start the British Monarchy Instagram account?
My love of history was the main reason. Firstly, it was just a place to share pictures that I liked, but it quickly became a hobby as interest grew. I received such positive feedback and was amazed by the interest worldwide in our Royal family and its long history. I have never had the confidence to teach, as I just don’t possess the communication skills, so in a way the Instagram account and now my website has been an outlet for me to share my interest in the monarchy. It also kept me stable somehow through my mum’s illness, a sort of escape. Plus, I have met some amazing people through. A translator from Brazil; a reverend from the U.S; a backup singer to the Jacksons who was in a band called Mary Jane Girls (their big hit was All Night Long, you’d know it if you heard it!); and a teacher from Iran. It’s just incredible how people of all backgrounds, faiths, nationalities, professions etc. share my interest. It’s just wonderful that we all share this common interest, really is.
You recently launched The British Monarchy blog. What can readers expect to find there?
It’s an expansion of my Instagram account. On Instagram you are extremely limited on what you can post, what with text limitations and so on. And after encouragement from my sister, who works in social media marketing, I decided to launch the blog. Some of the positive feedback received from my Instagram account was also a persuading factor. My website aims are to promote interest in history, the current royal family too, especially the Queen. I think a lot of people nowadays are getting caught up in this tedious ‘celebrity & reality TV’ obsession, and I feel important subjects like history aren’t getting the attention it deserves. I think it’s very sad when the shoes worn by the Duchess of Cambridge gets more interest than an article about Henry VIII, for instance.
I want to spark further interest, by offering snippets here and there like I have done on Instagram. I’ve had people write things like ‘thanks for your post, it’s made me want to learn more’, I can’t think of a better compliment. It just makes my efforts worthwhile. I cannot claim to be an expert in any shape or form, and I may make the odd error here and there, but I’m just doing something that I love.
Who is your favourite Tudor royal and why?
Queen Elizabeth I – Her life was just incredible, so many ups and downs; losing her mother at such a young age in such hideous circumstances and being declared illegitimate to add further insult to injury. Thankfully she would have been too young to know what was going on. Her life during the reign of her half-sister Mary is intriguing – her imprisonment in the Tower that could easily have ended up in her death. Then to finally become Queen and after all her tribulations, face several plots against her life, including the Queen of Scots dilemma and the Spanish Armada attempted invasion. But still she went on to rule for 44 years in a male dominated age, which is incredible.
What particular period of history do you feel most drawn to and why?
I wouldn’t say I am drawn to any one period of history but several. I love to read about the Anglo-Saxon kings, The Wars of the Roses, Tudor period, the Napoleonic Wars, WWI and WWII. As for people I’m drawn to Elizabeth I as mentioned above, Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII, Richard III, Queen Anne, Horatio Nelson and Winston Churchill.
What are you currently reading?
What am I not reading :-). I’m so disorganised when it comes to reading, in that I end up reading three or four at once, currently I’m reading ‘Forgotten Voices of the Great War’ by Max Arthur, ‘The Agincourt Companion’, ‘Heroes of the Holocaust’ by Lyn Smith and ‘I never knew that about Royal Britain’ by Christopher Winn.
What was the last film you watched?
Operation Finale, based on a true story of a team of top-secret Israeli agents who travel to Argentina to track down Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi officer who masterminded the transportation logistics that brought millions of innocent Jews to their deaths in concentration camps. Hoping to sneak him out of the country to stand trial, agent Peter Malkin soon finds himself playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with the notorious war criminal.
What are three must-follow Instagram or Twitter accounts for history lovers?
Instagram: @londonhistorian, @British_history_tours, @themosthappy78 and @Victoria.and.albert. Twitter: @tudordynasty, @thetudortimes, @I_W_M (Imperial War Museums), @HistoryExtra and ?@rct (Royal Collection Trust).
What are some of your favourite historic sites to visit?
Historic Dockyards in Portsmouth, is amazing. To stand on the HMS Victory, wow, the history! The Mary Rose Museum and discover HMS Warrior, just brilliant! I had a year pass and made several visits.
The Tower of London is incredible, although I think you need several visits due to the enormity of the place. Blenheim Palace, Kenilworth Castle, Corfe Castle, Middleham Castle, Osborne House, too many to mention really. Lincoln and York are great to visit too.
Visit www.thebritishmonarchy.co.uk
British Monarchy Instagram Account
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