The Duchess of Buckingham Regrets to Inform You that Her Husband is Dead

“We’re talking about someone else’s murder, Phoebe, tone it down.”

August 1815. A healthy Duke drops dead. Leaving Selina, his widow, miserable – but not for the reason you might think.

When her family gathers for the funeral, the late Duke’s will reveals the truth. To keep the roof over her head, she must remarry. In seven days. A seemingly impossible task, but a chance encounter with a stranger named Harry (who may or may not have been planning to rob her) and a misunderstanding about his parentage, seems to solve all of her problems.

But someone’s watching her. Someone who is determined to snatch the title from Selina’s hands and place himself on his rightful throne. No matter what he has to do to get there… 

Throw in Selina’s gambling brother and his charmed wife, her judgemental sister and the priest she’s shacking up with, a thief who is always looking for an escape route, and the all-seeing eye of the household, determined to discover the truth. Selina’s walk to the altar won’t be an easy one.

Put Jane Austen to bed and tell William Thackeray to cover his eyes. This is not your typical period piece.

‘The Duchess of Buckingham Regrets to Inform You Her Husband is Dead’ has been developed by and for Ruckus Theatre Company, an intersectional company based in London, platforming disenfranchised groups through theatre, and marks the theatrical debut of award-winning screenwriter Niamh Dunne.