The Royal Shakespeare Company’s gripping royal drama Queen Anne transfers to Theatre Royal Haymarket, transporting audiences to 1702 England, a nation in crisis and on the verge of war.

Having originally opened at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in November 2015, this gripping new play explores the life of one of England’s little-known sovereigns and her intimate friendship with her childhood confidante Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough.

Princess Anne is soon to become Queen, and her advisors vie for influence over the future monarch. Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, a close friend with whom Anne has an intensely personal relationship, begins to exert increasing pressure as she pursues her own designs on power.

Contending with deceit and blackmail, Anne must decide where her allegiances lie, and whether to sacrifice her closest relationships for the sake of the country.

Queen Anne is written by Helen Edmundson (The Heresy of Love, RSC) and is directed by Natalie Abrahami (Happy Days, Young Vic). Romola Garai (Amazing Grace, Atonement, Vanity Fair) stars as Sarah, with Emma Cunniffe (The Crucible) cast as the eponymous monarch.