At the age of four, Elizabeth passed into the care of Catherine Champernowne, better known by her later, married name of Catherine “Kat” Ashley, who remained Elizabeth’s friend for life. Champernowne clearly made a good job of Elizabeth’s early education: by the time William Grindal became her tutor in 1544, Elizabeth could write English, Latin, and Italian. Under Grindal, a talented and skillful tutor, she also progressed in French and Greek.

By the time her formal education ended in 1550, she was the best educated woman, not only in the monarch of the Tudor dynasty but of her generation.

In the beginning England had two Wars, the Wars of Roses. The white rose was the emblem of the House of York, the red rose was the emblem of the House of Lancaster.  After thirty years of civil war the two houses were united by marriage and most importantly the two roses were joined to form the Tudor Rose. Queen Elizabeth I, known as the Virgin Queen, took the Tudor Rose as her emblem and chose "Rosa sine spina" as her motto. She was known as the rose without a thorn. The Rose has been the national emblem of England ever since.