Interview with Holly Marsden on Mary II of England

In this episode, host Megan Barber interviews Dr Holly Marsden, assistant curator of research at Historic Royal Palaces, on her research on Mary II of England--a fascinating yet often overlooked regnant queen.

Guest Bio:

Holly Marsden is an assistant curator of research at Historic Royal Palaces, who focuses predominantly on the Queen’s State Apartments at Kensington Palace. She completed her PhD in 2024 under a collaboration between HRP and the University of Winchester, and her thesis examined the personal and public identities of Queen Mary II. During her PhD, Holly worked on the exhibitions 'Crown to Couture' at Kensington Palace and 'Inspiring People' at the National Portrait Gallery. Her research interests include the art, architectural, and material culture of the seventeenth century, especially Anglo-Dutch cultural exchange and relationships. Holly’s work also explores the histories of women loving women and LGBTQ+ history more broadly. In September 2026, she will be the Conrad Whelan 42 fellow at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.  

Publications  

Marsden, H., ‘A global “Pattern to Woman-kind”? Queen Mary II on commemorative ceramics in England, the United Provinces, China, and Colonial America’, The English Ceramic Circle Transactions (September, 2025).