圣十字架宫8

Take a look at this rather regal porcupine.

Bit of an eccentric symbol you might think,

but his bristles represent the military might of a former king,

and you know,

Mary might have wondered what kind of animal would represent her when she became Queen of France,

not a Highland cow, one would hope, but she did have red hair,

so maybe a clever fox, or a beautiful bird, perhaps?

Mary married the heir to the throne, Francis, in April 1558. 1558

He was 14, she was 15.

Within a year they'd been crowned King and Queen of France.

The celebrations reached as far as Scotland,

where a great canon was fired from Edinburgh Castle,

but Mary's thoughts were focused on her future here, in France.