In the recent episode of Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things, royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Kate Williams explore the perilous intersection of monarchy and espionage.

The podcast uncovers a historical tapestry of espionage and betrayal, from the Nazi scheme to install the Duke of Windsor as Hitler’s ‘puppet’ King to the Tudor spymaster potentially inspiring James Bond’s 007 codename.

Williams discusses the origins of the modern Secret Service, describing it as a shadowy realm of ‘codes, secret letters, and infiltration’, which took shape during the rule of Queen Elizabeth I.

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Spearheading this transformation was Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth’s Principal Secretary, who, as a committed Protestant, established an extensive spy network across Europe to thwart Catholic conspiracies against the Queen.

Walsingham fixated on dismantling Mary Queen of Scots. As Elizabeth’s cousin and a Catholic, Mary was the heir apparent and a central figure in plots aiming to unseat the Protestant Queen.

The podcast details how Walsingham’s espionage network orchestrated Mary’s execution in 1587 by trapping her through intercepted communications, marking it as perhaps the earliest instance where intelligence operations directly caused a monarch’s execution.

The beer barrel plot that sent Mary Queen of Scots ‘to the block’

The first Elizabethan age was a time of paranoia. Protestantism’s grip on the throne was precarious, and England was surrounded by hostile Catholic powers in Spain and France. Walsingham knew the country needed a new breed of spy.

‘We have had spies from the beginning of time’, Williams told the podcast.

‘But these spies were mostly ambassadors. Ambassadors are seen as working for the enemy, particularly those in the Renaissance period.

‘What these ambassadors do is effectively eavesdropping… this completely changes under the reign of Elizabeth.

‘Walsingham is responsible for an incredible development of the secret service. We now see spies doing what we read in novels and see in movies.

‘That’s secret codes, letters and infiltration. It’s a proper network, which Walsingham pays himself.

Walsingham became obsessed with bringing down Mary Queen of Scots (pictured). As Elizabeth’s cousin and a Catholic, she was next in line to the throne

The first Elizabethan age was a time of paranoia. Protestantism’s grip on the throne was precarious, and England was surrounded by hostile Catholic powers in Spain and France

Williams reveals how the Secret Service as we know it today, a murky world of ‘codes, secret letters and infiltration’, was born during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Listen here

‘He has about 40 men in his service… what they’re doing is looking at the activities of Catholics in Europe and in England.’

Walsingham’s spy ring then hatched a plot to entrap Mary Queen of Scots, who had been imprisoned in England since 1568.

Mary had fled Scotland seeking Elizabeth’s protection but was immediately imprisoned as a threat to the throne. The Queen’s advisors desperately wanted her eliminated, but they needed concrete evidence of treason to justify an execution.

Williams explained: ‘What these spies do is organise for a secret agent to go to Mary and say – I can get your letters from France into prison.

‘He’s a double agent but Mary thinks he’s going to open this up for her. She thinks it’s totally secret.

‘They tell her they can get her replies out of prison smuggled in a beer keg, and no one will know.

‘There’s a Catholic nobleman called Anthony Babington – he’s young, idealistic and befriends a priest called John Ballard.

‘Ballard’s best friend is one of Walsingham’s men. He’s reporting back the whole time.

‘Babington sends Mary a letter calling for the death of Elizabeth and the installation of her on the throne through a Spanish invasion.

Walsingham’s (pictured) spy ring then hatched a plot to entrap Mary Queen of Scots, who had been imprisoned in England since 1568

At her trial, Mary named and shamed Walsingham, exposing the Protestant plot against her

To hear more stories of Royal conspiracy like this, search for Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things now, wherever you get your podcasts. Listen here

‘Mary gets the letter but doesn’t endorse the plot. Her secretaries write back to Babington in code, and it’s stored in a beer keg.

‘It comes straight back to Walsingham. He’s got this letter, but he’s not really sure it says enough to incriminate Mary.

‘So, he forges a postscript, where Mary says: ‘Who exactly is going to be part of this? And could you tell me what you’re going to do?’

Walsingham’s forged addition was enough to convict Mary of treason and sentence her to death by beheading.

At her trial, Mary named and shamed Walsingham, exposing the Protestant plot against her.

Williams explained: ‘Mary says, ‘Walsingham, you have cursed me!’

‘But the evidence against her is seen as irrefutable. Elizabeth doesn’t want to execute her. She thinks it’s going to be a disaster.

‘So, Walsingham and his chums arrange for it to happen behind her back.’

On February 8, 1587, Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle, her fate sealed by a first-of-its-kind espionage operation.

To hear more stories of Royal conspiracy like this, search for Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things now, wherever you get your podcasts.