To celebrate the Platinum Jubilee, and the country’s great royal history, English Heritage has recreated 41 English monarchs – from William the Conqueror in 1066 to Queen Elizabeth II – in gingerbread form. From Queen Victoria’s short stature, to the bold three lions of Richard 'the Lionheart', to the grizzly fate of a headless Charles I each has been hand-iced to depict the kings and queens who have played a part in England’s story.

Gingerbread has long been a staple of English kitchens and festivities - Medieval gingerbread was thought to aid digestion at the end of a meal, and by the Elizabethan period it was also believed to be good for flatulence and sharpening the sight. The Tudors enjoyed gingerbread at feasts and state events, and it is even said that Queen Elizabeth I once impressed her guests by serving them miniature gingerbread forms of themselves. English Heritage’s 'Gingerbread Monarchs' take inspiration from Elizabeth I’s idea and have been individually designed and decorated by expert bakers Biscuiteers.

English Heritage’s Properties Curator, Sam Stones said: "At castles and historic houses right across England, English Heritage is celebrating the Platinum Jubilee with a whole range of fun events. Our gingerbread monarchs are inspired by the first Queen Elizabeth and are in honour of today’s Queen – we hope they’ll give people a taste of this country’s rich history and inspire them to explore the stories behind each king and queen."

Fittingly the full collection of biscuits will be put on display at Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire to be viewed over the jubilee weekend. In 1575 the castle was the setting for one of Tudor England’s most extravagant celebrations when Queen Elizabeth I stayed for 19 days as guest of her 'favourite', and would-be king, Robert Dudley. The lavish festivities included much feasting, with tables laden with baked goods and confectionary to impress the sweet-toothed monarch. It was not enough to persuade the Queen to marry Dudley, but it has gone down as one of the grandest proposals in history.

To mark the historic moment of the nation’s first Platinum Jubilee, English Heritage has, produced a list of the record-breaking kings and queens who made history:

• Longest Reign - Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (1952 – 2022) became the longest-reigning British monarch in September 2015, when she surpassed the previous record of 63 years and 7 months held by Queen Victoria. The record was extended further as Queen Elizabeth II became the first British Monarch to reign for 70 years and celebrate a Platinum Jubilee.
• Shortest Reign – tends to be thought of as King Edward V (1483) who became King of England at the age of 12 and his reign lasted just over two months. Famously one of the ‘princes in the tower’, Edward was imprisoned in the Tower of London alongside his brother Richard and later murdered in mysterious circumstances. However it could be argued that the shortest reign was that of Lady Jane Grey, who was nominated queen by her predecessor Edward VI, and proclaimed queen by the royal heralds on 10 July 1553. Her reign was exceptionally short, with Mary I being proclaimed queen on 19 July. A classic case of history being written by the winners, we tend not to think of Jane as Queen Jane I and her claim to the throne was and is disputed.

• Tallest – King Edward IV (1461-1483) is believed to have been the tallest monarch - his skeleton was exhumed in 1789 and measured 6 feet 3 ½ inches so it’s likely he was a little taller than this in life. His grandson Henry VIII inherited his height and was around 6 feet 2 inches tall.
• Shortest – Queen Victoria (1837-1901) was famously small in stature and – at barely 5 foot tall – was around four inches shorter than Queen Elizabeth II.
• Number of marriages – King Henry VIII (1509-1547) is well known for his six wives: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Katherine Parr. The many wives of Henry have inspired countless novels, films, and stage shows. Katherine Parr, Henry VIII’s final queen, is England’s most married queen consort. Henry was husband number three, and she married one more time after his death.
• Number of children – King Edward I (1272-1307) had 18 legitimate children across his marriages to Eleanor of Castille and Margaret of France, though several didn’t make it to adulthood. Henry I is also a contender for the title – his two legitimate children with Matilda of Scotland were joined by up to 24 illegitimate children.
• Oldest Monarch to take the throne – King William IV (1830-1837) was 64 years old, 309 days when he assumed the British throne in 1830. The oldest Queen at the time of her ascension was Mary I, aged 37 years, 151 days when she took the throne in 1553.

• Youngest Monarch – King Henry VI (1422-1461) was only 9 months old when he succeeded his father Henry V as king of England in 1422, and was also king of France before the age of one. A regency council ran England until Henry was old enough to rule by himself in 1437.
• First joint monarchs – Mary I and King Philip, married at Winchester in July 1554, with the wedding celebration held at Wolvesey Palace (now in the care of English Heritage). Philip was not a consort, he was King of England for as long as his marriage lasted, making him England’s only Spanish king. (He was also King of Naples, meaning that Mary became Queen of Naples.) The next, and last, joint monarchs were William III and Mary II.

In addition to the gingerbread monarchs, English Heritage has joined the nation to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with celebratory events, special tree plantings, and beacon lighting ceremonies across the country. From Queen Victoria’s seaside home at Osborne on the Isle of Wight, to the oak tree at Boscobel House which hid King Charles II, English Heritage properties have seen some truly historic royal moments – and family friendly events throughout the Jubilee week have been inspired by the country’s historic monarchs. A number of sites will also join the nation to light jubilee beacons on 2 June.

In addition to the events of Jubilee week, the charity has planted over 70 trees as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy project – with each tree being significant to the history of the 12 sites where they have been planted.