... Cecil, head of the Privy Council, and Lord Walsingham, an Elizabethan spy master. Both played an active role in the marriage issue to the extent of warning-off and discrediting potential suitors. Although the fact that this took place is irrefutable, it is still unclear as to whether this was out of indecision or whether it was for the good of the nation. There we certainly no shortage of suitors for the young queen. There were many young nobles, some English, some foreign, who were more than keen to woe England's premiere, the most notable being Lord Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. The tale of the childhood romance between Dudley and Elizabeth was the stuff of gossip at court and it seemed that much of her youthful life, she had been passionately in love with Dudley. He was clearly her favourite and received regular audiences, lands and titles. In September 1560, ...

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