About this episode
Could a long-hidden miniature painting unlock the mystery of Shakespeare’s most intimate poetry? Unearthed after 400 years in a private collection, a portrait depicts a strikingly androgynous youth—jewelled and enigmatic . But this is no ordinary likeness. Concealed within its layers lies a coded message of love, betrayal, and secrecy. Could it depict Henry Wriothesley, the 3rd Earl of Southampton, Shakespeare’s patron and perhaps the true “Mr. W.H.” of his most homo-erotic sonnets? In this thrilling episode, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Elizabeth Goldring and Emma Rutherford to reveal a breathtaking find that could rewrite literary history. MORE: A Tudor Mystery: The Girl who Could be Queen https://open.spotify.com/episode/7ah4FWEOjfcDKCK9QVFmVE Elizabeth I's Favourite Painter: Hilliard https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Ozixx69Vx10DncZhgGYXt Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe . You can take part in our listener survey here : https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.