The King's Assassin by Benjamin Woolley

The King's Assassin - the fatal affair of George Villiers and James I
 
Now a major TV series, Mary & George, starring Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine. The King’s Assassin is the scandalous story of George Villiers, lover  of King James I. The rise of George Villiers from minor gentry to royal power seemed to defy gravity.

Becoming gentleman of the royal bedchamber in 1615, the young gallant enraptured James, Britain’s first Stuart king, royal adoration reaching such an intensity that the king declared he wanted the courtier to become his ‘wife’. For a decade, Villiers was at the king’s side – at court, on state occasions and in bed, right up to James’s death in March 1625. Almost immediately, Villiers’ many enemies accused him of poisoning the king.

In The King’s Assassin, acclaimed author Benjamin Wooley examines this remarkable, even tragic story. Combining vivid characterization and a strong narrative with historical scholarship and forensic investigation, Woolley tells the story of King James’s death, and of the captivating figure at its centre. What emerges is a compelling portrait of a royal favourite whose charisma overwhelmed those around him and, ultimately, himself.