Mary Beard on the Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I

#AntiqueRoyal"Historian Mary Beard reveals the hidden symbolism of the Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I, one of the most iconic images of the Tudor Queen.

The painting shows Elizabeth I at the height of her reign - but perhaps it tells us more about the price a woman pays to have power...

What do you see?

See the three surviving versions of the Armada Portrait at the free art exhibition Faces of a Queen. "