Written in French on 8 February 1587 to Henry III, king of France, from her prison cell, the letter sees Mary write that she has “been advised of my sentence: I am to be executed like a criminal at eight in the morning.
“I have asked for my papers, which they have taken away, in order that I might make my will, but I have been unable to recover anything of use to me, or even get leave either to make my will freely or to have my body conveyed after my death, as I would wish, to your kingdom where I had the honour to be queen, your sister and old ally,” writes Mary, in a translation provided by the National Library of Scotland, where the letter is held.
This story is from the December 11, 2021 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the December 11, 2021 edition of The Guardian.
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