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Ren Faire: Q&A with Mary, Queen of Scots |
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Written by Paul Raymore
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Tuesday, 11 September 2007 |
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Q&A with Her Royal Majesty, Mary, Queen of Scots (aka Laurie Ratliff):
Tahoe World: Can you give our readers a little history of Mary, Queen of Scots?
Her Royal Majesty: Mary, Queen of Scots was one of the few women in history who was Queen by birth, not marriage. Mary came to the throne as an infant, but was raised in France for safety and betrothed to the Dauphin. Her early life was privileged and sumptuous, therefore she was confident in her status as Queen. She was married young and soon became Queen of France as well as Scotland. When her husband died, she came back to Scotland, but faced many challenges, such as a newly Protestant country as a Catholic Queen, numerous Scottish Lords battling for power, John Knox who lambasted any female monarch, chilly relations with Queen Elizabeth of England, and pressure to marry and produce an heir. All this before the age of 20.
 TW: What does a Queen do at a Renaissance Faire?
HRM: Among the many duties of a Queen: Meet and greet guests of the faire, entertain local dignitaries, resolve issues brought before her in court, inspect her Royal Guard, attend competitions of sword play and jousting, pay visits to guilds and hear of their reports or request, and get into just a little bit of mischief.
TW: Have you been to the Truckee Renaissance Faire before? And if so, what was your impression?
HRM: I have been attending the Truckee Renaissance Faire since its inception and it is certainly one of my personal favorites. There is an amazing sense of welcome and enthusiasm within the community.
TW: Who else is a part of the royal court this year?
HRM: People of note to look for in court this year are the Queen’s sister, Jean Stewart, countess of Argyle and her husband Archibald Campbell — one never knows if today they love each other or today they hate each other. You can also see the Italian, David Rizzio, the Queen’s ill-fated personal secretary; and James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, who eventually becomes the Queen’s third husband.
 TW: Anything else you would like to say?
HRM: By royal command, we, Mary Queen of Scotland, do charge the gentle folk of these shires, pray make ye haste to attend the delights of the Truckee Renaissance Faire.
Scheduled to run Saturday, Sept. 15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Truckee Renaissance Faire will take place in the shires of the Truckee River Regional Park in Truckee.
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