Lions of the Red Rose is a brand new book exploring the history of the Wars of the Roses by focusing on members of the Percy family - the 2nd Earl of Northumberland, his four warrior sons, and their surviving heir, battling through some of the most brutal and violent decades of British history.

The book, which also includes beautifully produced illustrations and maps by Peter Phillips, as well as images of incredible surviving documents from the Alnwick Castle archive, was written by His Grace the 12th Duke of Northumberland. The Alnwick Castle Podcast was able to speak with him about the process behind writing the book, his thoughts on his warring Percy family ancestors, from whom he can trace direct descent, and the most interesting discoveries he made in researching Lions of the Red Rose.

The book will be available from this year from the Alnwick Castle gift shops, and is accompanied by a new exhibition, also called Lions of the Red Rose.

The previous book by the Duke of Northumberland, Lions of the North, is also available to buy now.

For more on the Percys and the Wars of the Roses, please check out our previous episode, which offers a brief introduction to the subject. Look out for future podcasts covering the new exhibition and more as we spend 2024 sharing the story of the Lions of the Red Rose.