Elizabeth of Bohemia, known to some as the Winter Queen and to others as the Queen of Hearts, was one of those rare figures whose personality still fascinates us across the centuries. The daughter of James I, she combined charm and humour with courage in the face of adversity and a steely determination to regain her patrimony after she and her husband were driven from the throne of Bohemia. Among the many men who championed Elizabeth's sorrowful fortunes, Lord Craven was the most faithful. Brave, wealthy and supremely generous, this latter-day knight errant threw everything he could into his efforts to recapture the Palatinate for his heroine, risking his life and spending enormous sums in financing a military campaign. After all schemes had come to naught he came to live at Elizabeth's threadbare court in the Hague, supporting her financially and befriending her talented but unruly family. His estates, confiscated by the Commonwealth, were returned at the Restoration, and he busied himself in planning fine houses for Elizabeth's use on her return to England in 1661. Sadly she died the same year but Ashdown House in Berkshire still remains as a poignant memorial to Craven's single-minded devotion.
