Cracking the Queen's Code

In early 2023, three amateur codebreakers announced they had successfully decoded the secret correspondence of one of the most tragic characters in European history: Mary, Queen of Scots. 57 encrypted letters detail the exiled queen’s efforts to free herself from imprisonment and gain advantage over her rival, Queen Elizabeth. Now, after four centuries, Mary’s urgent pleas can be revealed.

After months of working on mysterious encrypted letters, Elizabeth’s codebreakers begin to suspect that the messages were written by none other than Mary, Queen of Scots, during one of the most critical moments of her imprisonment.

Mary, Queen of Scots, is seeking a marriage to strengthen her claim to the English throne. Her cousin Lord Darnley appears to check all the boxes: He comes from a powerful Scottish family, has a line in the English succession, and seems like someone she can manage. But the marriage is deeply unpopular. And after she becomes pregnant, Mary realizes her husband is not the man she thought he was.

Since childhood, Mary Stuart had enjoyed writing in cipher. Later in life, as Queen of Scots and a prisoner in England for nearly 19 years, the skill became essential to her survival.

Mary was sentenced to death after being found guilty of plotting the assassination of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. As Mary prepared for her execution, she made sure her attire would send one last message to the world.

Mary Stuart knows her secret letters are being intercepted. To smuggle her encrypted messages beyond the prison walls, she must rely on unconventional methods.