Queers and Queens:

History Panel

Anthony Delaney

Gareth Russell   

HRH Aphrodite I

4pm - 5pm

Anthony Delaney, Gareth Russell and HRH Aphrodite I talk all things history from Queen James VI to Queer Georgians to historical Drag Tales.

Dr Anthony Delaney has a PhD in history from the University of Exeter, where he is an Honorary Fellow, and presents the History Hit podcast “After Dark”. Queer Georgians is his first book. Along with winning “Rookie of the Year” at the 2024 True Crime Awards, Anthony was also nominated for “Best New Presenter” at the 2024 Arias. He also appears on and has presented numerous history documentaries across TV and streaming platforms. As an actor, Anthony currently plays DC Jordan Macdonald in comedy crime drama “Harry Wild” for Acorn TV and AMC+. Other TV and film credits have included “Hellboy”, “Fair City” and “Penny Dreadful”. On stage, Anthony has appeared in theatres across the UK and Ireland including the National Theatre and in the West End.

Gareth Russell is a Northern Irish historian, author, and broadcaster. Educated at St Peter’s College, Oxford, and Queen’s University, Belfast, he specialises in European and royal history. Young and Damned and Fair, his biography of Queen Catherine Howard, was based on his postgraduate research and was published to critical acclaim in 2017. His account of the Titanic disaster, The Ship of Dreams, was a Daily Telegraph Best History Book (2019). Do Let’s Have Another Drink, his affectionate biography of the late Queen Mother, was named a Book of the Year (2022) by The Times. In 2023, his bestselling The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of History at Hampton Court was named a BBC History Book of the Year. His most recent book is a biography of James VI & I. Praised as “a stellar example of how to write historical biography,” it was published in February 2025 in the UK and Ireland as Queen James (a contemporary nickname for James).

H.R.H. Aphrodite I is a London-based award-winning queer drag artist, historian and zine maker known for staging "heritage drag" and interactive historical performances. As a multidisciplinary performer, she blends cabaret with research on LGBTQIA+ history, fashion, and popular culture, frequently appearing at venues like The Divine and major cultural institutions.