Anna Keay
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Anna Keay | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 1974 (age 51) |
| Education | Doctor of Philosophy[2] |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford[1][2] University of London[2] |
| Occupations | Historian, author, broadcaster |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Employer(s) | The Landmark Trust (Director, 2012–present)[2][3] |
| Spouse | [1][4] |
| Children | 2[1][2][4] |
| Parent(s) | John Keay[1] Julia Atkins[1] |
| Relatives | Humphrey Atkins (grandfather)[2] |
| Website | www |
Anna Julia Keay OBE (born August 1974)[5][6][2][1] is a British historian, author and broadcaster. Since 2012, she has served as director of The Landmark Trust.
Keay grew up in a remote home in the West Highlands, the daughter of authors John Keay[1] and Julia (Atkins) Keay.[1] She is the granddaughter of Conservative politician and former chief whip Humphrey Atkins.[2]
She was educated at Oban High School in Argyll and the private Bedales School. She then read history at Magdalen College at the University of Oxford.[1][2]
She subsequently studied for a PhD degree at Queen Mary, University of London; her thesis, The Ceremonies of Charles II's Court, was completed in 2004.[7]
Career
Keay worked for English Heritage from 2002 to 2012, after seven years as Assistant Curator of the Historic Royal Palaces,[8] responsible for Hampton Court, the Banqueting House, Whitehall, and the Tower of London.[2] As its Director of Properties Presentation, she was involved in the restoration of the Elizabethan Garden at Kenilworth Castle, which featured in a 2009 BBC television series about English Heritage.[9]
She has served as director of The Landmark Trust since 2012.[2][3][10]
She appeared on BBC Radio 4's The Museum of Curiosity in October 2014. Her hypothetical donation to this fictional museum was St Edward's Crown, part of the British Crown Jewels.[11]
She co-presented The Buildings That Shaped Britain on Channel 5.[8][12] She later appeared on The Coronation and The Queen's Palaces.[13]
Keay is Trustee of the Royal Collection Trust[14] and the Pilgrim Trust.[15]
In 2026 Keay was appointed by Charles III as the official biographer of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.[16][17] She is the first woman to serve as an official biographer to a British monarch.[16]
Personal life
Keay married fellow historian Simon Thurley in 2008. The couple have a daughter and a son, non-identical twins, born in 2008.[2][4] The family live in London and Norfolk.[8]
Awards and honours
- Keay was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to heritage.[18]
- She was shortlisted for the 2022 Baillie Gifford Prize for The Restless Republic.[19]
- She received the Duff Cooper Prize in 2022.
