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LONDON, Jun 14, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A British TV documentary is set to challenge one of Britain's oldest myths by revealing evidence that Queen Elizabeth I had a secret child.
"The Secret Life of Elizabeth I" will contain evidence gathered by historian Dr. Paul Doherty that the "Virgin Queen" had a child with her courtier Robert Dudley -- and abandoned the child.
The evidence includes a series of prayers that Elizabeth is said to have written, hinting at the possibility of a lost royal heir, the Daily Mail reports.
"She made some harsh decisions during her reign -- dispatching fleets and waging wars -- but in these prayers she is confessing to a sexual sin and one of the greatest sacrifices of her life: the abandonment of a child by its mother," Dudley said.
If the claim is true, it could undermine the image of one of Britain's most beloved queens. Elizabeth was said to have forgone both marriage and children when she rose to the throne, promising her devotion to the people of her kingdom instead.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
