Young Elizabeth has been outcast from court since her mother's execution. When her father dies it takes three days for Elizabeth Tudor to learn of her brother's ascension. Along with her brother Edward, Elizabeth travels to London where she is met by her father's sixth wife, Catherine.
After the funeral and coronation, Catherine invites the princess and her governess to stay at her house in London. Elizabeth is enamored of her stepmother and happy to have some status in the household. Joining Catherine's house is also Thomas Seymour - the new king's uncle. Elizabeth and her governess Kat notice something between the dowager queen and the king's advisor. The word around the court is that they are lovers.
But Catherine indicates Thomas Seymour is interested in an alliance with the young princess when she becomes of marriageable age. Kat encourages the romance and Elizabeth is stunned when the arrangement is superseded by a secret marriage between Catherine and her stepson's guardian. Thomas Seymour is at the center of a plot against the throne and is punished accordingly.
When young King Edward VII falls prey to childhood illness Elizabeth's older half-sister, Mary, becomes queen. Mary is vindictive and seeks to purge the nation of Protestantism, blaming it for the breakdown and destruction of her family. The nation finds hope in its young princess and Mary is threatened by Elizabeth's supporters, she takes steps to prevent outright revolt.
Beware, Princess Elizabeth is a dramatic telling of real events in Queen Elizabeth I's childhood. Meyer paints a picture of one of England's beloved monarchs for young readers - a picture which fills history's gaps. This tale is intended for middle-grade readers and glosses some of the more sensitive realities of Elizabeth's young life.
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