The glorious portrait of Cleopatra on the golden, red and turquoise cover of Queens sets the reader up for an exhilarating tour through history which centres on female leaders who have achieved worldwide fame (and occasionally infamy!). The book is set out within a broad timeline, starting with the queens of the ancient world and ending with Queen Elizabeth II. Within each period of history, a selection of queens are investigated through beautifully illustrated double page spreads. The short sections dedicated to a specific aspect of a queen’s life (from transport to fashion) enable the reader to draw out points of similarity and contrast across the diverse group. The section on royal shoes just perfectly shows the luxurious lives that many queens lived…