Two outlets recount the historical claim that Empress Matilda, daughter of King Henry I of England, came close to becoming the first reigning queen of England. The articles say that roughly 400 years before Queen Mary I’s reign, Matilda was within “a hairs breadth” of being anointed as a queen. Both pieces frame Matilda as a resilient and capable figure in the succession dispute that followed Henry I’s death, emphasizing her near-miss status rather than a completed reign. While they focus on her potential queenship, the summaries provided do not add further details such as the specific date, the political process for anointing, or how the outcome ultimately differed from what was anticipated. Taken together, the accounts present the same central point: Matilda is often cited in historical discussions as an early figure who nearly achieved the role later associated with England’s queens regnant, but she does not become the monarch.