It’s time for another exclusive guest Q&A! This time, we are joined by the lovely Dr Kate Virgus, historian and actress behind History’s Maid, her own live historical interpretation company. With this, Kate is probably best known amongst many of my followers for portraying Queen Victoria at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.
Like always, my instagram followers did a great job of sending in their questions for Kate and I am so excited to finally be able to share her answers with you!
©️ Aidan Downer
1. What got you interested in historical interpretation and how long have you been doing it?
“I did a degree in drama at the University of Hull. I always wanted to be an actress but never thought I would make it on the stage so when I graduated from university, I went to work in stage management in Leeds. I worked for Opera North; I worked for a pantomime and realised I missed it all terribly. At the same time, I started going to the Royal Armouries museum, which was recently opened in Leeds, and they had performers there. So, when an opening came up, I auditioned. My audition piece was Annie Oakley and I also got to horse ride in the afternoon of the audition; and I got the job. I worked at the Royal Armouries for about eight years. I did go on secondment a couple of times to other roles but, in my time at the Armouries, I learnt to sword fight; I learnt to do skill at arms on horseback; commentate jousts and played a huge variety of characters; from a Celtic Queen right the way to a Second World War secret agent. So that is how I got into historical interpretation and this year, without wanting to give too much away, I’ll have been performing for twenty-five years.
2. How many characters do you portray?
I’ve got to be honest, I’ve rather lost count. I play numerous characters. Some are people who are well known, like Queen Victoria; Florence Nightingale; a lady called Fanny Duberly, who witnessed the charge of the light brigade from horseback; Annie Oakley, Margaret of Anjou; Queen Cartimandua; Boudica. So, I play characters who are a person, re-depicting what a person did. I also do quite a few of what we call composite characters, where I take a lot of eyewitness accounts, diaries, etc. and put them together. I do a Second World War secret agent, I do a woman who was around in the First World War, telling all different facets of her story; a First World War munitions worker; a suffragette. My most recent script was one on the Warsaw Uprising to mark the 80th anniversary this year.
3. Are there any characters that you are hoping to create in the future?
Well, the Warsaw Uprising was one that I’d wanted to do for quite a long time, that’s been in the pipeline for several years and with this year being the anniversary, and with meeting someone [an Uprising historian] who’s become a very close friend, that enabled me to put a piece together. Moving forward next year, I’m looking at doing something about the Escape Lines during the Second World War. I kind of work with people who book me and what they would like, so there will always be new characters coming forward; I just need to sit down and give it some thought. In terms of character I would absolutely love to play, I can’t think of any right now, I’ve been really lucky.
4. Which character is your favourite?
Well I have to say, I love playing Queen Victoria. It gives me a real thrill. What I like about playing her, especially because I get to play her at Osborne House, is playing her as a person. She is at home with her husband. We always pretend the children are off at Swiss Cottage. But I try to portray her as happy. This is a time in her life when she was happy. She had her Albert beside her; she was away from the hustle and bustle of London, from would be assassins, from the government, from the Prime Minister putting pressure on her, from Florence Nightingale writing her letters every ten minutes. At Osborne she’s away from London so I enjoy portraying that. I would also say that one of my favourite characters is my World War Two secret agent. By default now, I am a best selling author and an authority on the Special Operations Executive, that all came about through performance work, but she’s a character I’d really like to bring back because she’s where all that started.
5. Do you work on your own?
Predominantly, History’s Maid is me. However, I do have people that work alongside me. For example, when I play Victoria at Osborne, my Prince Albert is normally my dear friend, James Maclaren, who is a fantastic Prince Albert. He’s droll, he’s amusing, does a great German accent and has done a lot of research into things like the Great Exhibition and the way that Albert himself designed the house. So, I love working with him. We usually have an equerry with us as well. In the past this has been Mark Griffin or John Sundermund. We once even brought Prince Duleep Singh along, which was good fun too. In terms of the company, however, there are several sub-contractors. I have a lot of friends who are actors, who I have drawn into my love of history, so it very much depends. Now, I’m revisiting Osborne House in a weeks time [this week, 20th-22nd August 2024]. With me then will be my partner in crime, my boyfriend Phil. We will also have Mark Griffin again working with us on the ground. So, more often than not, I’m on my own but I do tend to bring people along as and when I can because it’s such a good, fun thing to do.
6. What sort of events do you go to?
Predominantly I am booked for events by companies. I work for English Heritage, for example; the Chalke History Festival; We Have Ways Festival; various museums; Chesterfield Museum; the Royal Armouries. I get approached by clients to provide various characters for them, so there’s a good mix in there and a lot of fun to be had!
7. What is your favourite thing about acting as Queen Victoria?
At this particular stage, it’s having Albert there. I really like this aspect of it and I dread the day when someone says “actually, do you know what, you’re looking too old, you look too old, you’re going to have to take a sabbatical then go into mourning”. That really worries me! I like the interaction with the public, I like the questions that they ask. Let’s be honest, I love the costumes! I have literally just had a new riding habit made based on a sculpture of Victoria at Osborne House, which I am very much looking forward to wearing and riding sidesaddle in the future. The pink silk dress I wear was commissioned by Prior Attire, who also made the habit. It’s fun. I dye my hair, I wear beautiful jewellery and there are some exceptions I have to make. Now, if Victoria was at home, she wouldn’t be wandering around outside in silk with her blue sash and Star of the Garter on and a tiara, but we need the public to make sure they know who I am when I arrive. So, there are some concessions to be made when playing Victoria. But walking around her house, across the terrace, it’s a very special thing to be able to do.
8. Do you make your costumes yourself?
And that answers the next question! No, I don’t make my costumes myself. I’m not good enough. Weirdly, I’m also in a group called The Ragged Victorians, who portray the poor of [Henry] Mayhews poor report of 1851. So, this is a totally chalk and cheese interest in the Victorian era. But the Queen Victoria costumes are fully authentic. So, yes, there are corsets. I dye my hair brown. I’m normally blonde but I dye my hair brown as Victoria was a brunette. Yeah, everything is authentic as possible. Likewise, with Albert, we try to make sure that his costumes are as good as they possibly can be. So, sometimes they are made by Prior Attire or a company called Seams Historic, sometimes they are hired from Angels Costumers.
9. Do you own any Royal replicas?
It’s difficult to get hold of stuff that is affordable, I’m going to be completely honest. But one thing I’m very pleased to have found is a copy of Queen Victorias wedding ring. Now, you don’t get to see it very often because obviously she’s wearing gloves. So, that is something. Now, this habit that i had made is a replica, so I do my absolute best to make sure everything is as good as it can be.
10. What is your favourite historical era?
Well, obviously I find the Victorians fascinating and Victoria herself. I find the technology, the development, the social aspect of Victorian England very interesting indeed – [but] also quite horrifying! I’m not going to lie, like I’ve just said, I play a poor person from 1851 with the Ragged Victorians. I’ve also done a lot of study into Jack the Ripper in 1888. The fact that in those nearly forty years in-between, nothing changes. The poor are poor and it’s almost a vicious circle that they’ll never get out of. The conditions that they work in in the mills and factories, the Industrial Revolution, that’s something that’s fascinated me since I was a small child and used to visit a museum to the Industrial Revolution in Halifax in Yorkshire. So, it’s something I’ve always found interesting. I’ve also worked in a massive project in 2007 in Leeds, looking at the industrial heritage of the city; looking at the mills; looking at the market. So, yeah, that’s something I find very interesting. The life of the royals themselves, almost less so. But I do love playing Victoria as I keep saying, in her family home. My other favourite historical era has to be the Second World War. As I said earlier, I have a PHD in World War Two, I am an author, I speak all over the country about the Second World War, I’ve even taught at Oxford University so it’s something I will always find fascinating. You know what, I just love history. If I don’t learn something, I get a little bit grumpy. I just love history and find the whole thing fascinating. It’s where we come from and it informs where we’re going to as well.
11. Do you work with schools?
In the past, yes I have worked with schools a lot. That’s becoming less as my career starts to move in different directions. So I would say now I work more with adult audiences, giving talks and lectures [to] mature students.
12. What is your favourite historical fact?
That’s a good question. There are so many good historical facts! I like the fact that Queen Victoria liked cranberry tart and the fact that her wedding cake was something like ten feet in circumference. Also, I love sidesaddle and I love incorporating my horse into events so I like my horsey facts and I like things about sidesaddle that I can tell people. The world’s your oyster with historical facts so that’s a difficult one to answer.
I’d like to say a huge thank you to Kate for taking part in this Q&A, especially while she has been unwell. You can find out more about Kate’s work over on her website: katevigurs.com
©️ Queen.Victoria.Roses 2024
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