"[5] To research and write the book Lacey took his wife and children to live for two and a half years in Jeddah in the late 1970s.

Lacey is a royal correspondent, appearing regularly on ABC's Good Morning America, and was in London for the channel covering the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

[11] The series has been widely criticised in the UK - despite its commercial success - for its historical inaccuracies and artistic inventions; former National Trust chairman and ex-Times editor Simon Jenkins branded it "cowardly...fake history".

During a live BBC broadcast covering the arrival of the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II in Edinburgh Lacey spoke of his admiration for John Knox, who he controversially claimed had "cleared the Catholics out of Scotland".

Lady Jane Rayne Lacey is a founding member and director of the Chickenshed Theatre and was President of Trustees until her daughter Natasha took over in 2013.