Following in my heroine’s footsteps, here I am in Saumur, in her favourite Château which has barely changed since she lived here.

Yolande, for all her devotion to France, her adopted country, was in fact a Spanish Princess, the daughter of King John I of Aragon and Violant of the duchy of Bar.

Although Yolande of Aragon saved France, I am sad to report that she is now shockingly and shamefully, all but forgotten.

Joseph Nicéphore Niépce is the Father of Photography.

The jewels stolen from The Louvre in October 2025, were not The Crown Jewels.

Leonardo didn’t compartmentalise his experiments. For example, before him, only apothecaries created fragrances which were not meant to be put directly on to the skin.

Not only is her smile strange, just about everything about her is strange.

Leonardo did not give this, or any other of his paintings, a title. He simply said it is of a Florentine lady.

Before we dive into the nitty gritty of what lies behind the painting, it never hurts to point out that the first people to see Mona Lisa outside Italy lived in Amboise in the beautiful Loire Valley.