I was extremely sorry to learn of the death of Kevin Sharpe. He had a recurrence of the lymphoma for which he had earlier treatment. That makes his death particularly poignant to me as that was something we shared.

He had a chair at Queen Mary London but I’d known him whilst he was at Southampton and I was still actively working in the profession. He was a fine historian and a fine human being.He loved a good gossip as much as an academic discussion. He was fun to be out with socially – easy and relaxed.

He was one of the contributors to David Starkey’s book on the English Court. He wrote well and was prolific without ever exhausting the golden seam of scholarship. He also wrote across the divides of history, art and literature. In the academic world this is ever a dangerous course as there will always be experts who will disparage such efforts. His career justified such inter-disciplinary scholarship.

As an historian I feel his finest achievement was the extraordinary book. – The Personal Rule of Charles I. It was a great feat…learned, witty and insightful on every level. It was one of the best books I’ve ever read on the complicated subject of King Charles. The book will stand for a long time as a testament to his considerable academic achievements and talent. He had a gift for writing history and he wrote well.

I’m sure he will be missed by all those he knew but we are all blest he’s left so much great work behind that speaks with his distinctive voice.