Lucy Worsley's Royal Myths & Secrets

-

Narrator

The Spanish Ambassador, sent to woo young Elizabeth, was the Count of Farrier. His mission? To secure Spain's influence over England by convincing the new Queen that she needs Phillip's protection. It was Phillip, after all, who'd got her released from the Tower of London. Farrier's first task was to persuade Elizabeth she should ditch the Protestant faith for the Catholic church. The Catholic faith, Your Majesty, embrace it. Phillip seeks your support, seeks to support you, ma'am. Embrace Rome, and Phillip will embrace you. (soft string music) Elizabeth has granted Farrier a private audience to make his pitch. The only people present are her two ladies in waiting as chaperones. Now, I think that Farrier wants to exploit Elizabeth's vulnerability. She's only 25 years old. She's in a new position, she might well be feeling in need of powerful friends. But I also think that Farrier has underestimated our Liz. We do not need your master's embrace, sir. We are grateful to Phillip for his hand in our release, but the King of Spain does not make me a Queen. Nor does Rome. My people do. (soft music) Awkward. Phillip will soon raise the stakes by offering Elizabeth his hand in marriage, but she decides to keep him in the friend zone. A few months later, Elizabeth hears that Phillip has gone and got married to a French Princess instead, and she makes a joke that's classic Queen Elizabeth I. She said if he couldn't even wait a couple of months to see if he got the right answer from me, he can't have loved me all that much anyway. (dramatic music) -

Narrator

With Elizabeth as Queen, England became a Protestant country. But initially, she remained on friendly terms with Catholic Spain. (dramatic string music) Fast forward nearly 30 years, though, and that relationship had deteriorated. So badly that Phillip would amass an invasion force against England; a mighty fleet that would become known as the Spanish Armada. (dramatic string music)