Lauren Working is Lecturer in Early Modern Studies at the University of York. She was shortlisted for the prestigious Eccles Institute & Hay Festival Global Writer's Award for her work on this book, and her academic book The Making of an Imperial Polity won the Royal Historical Society's prestigious Whitfield Prize in 2021. As a BBC New Generation Thinker, she has spoken about her work across broadcast media, and worked with institutions including the National Portrait Gallery, National Trust, British Library and V&A.