Thalira

Queen Thalira of Peladon was the daughter of King Peladon. She became Queen of Peladon when her father died.

Childhood
Thalira was born in the 40th century to King Peladon, (TV: The Monster of Peladon) who was an old man when she was born. (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Monster of Peladon) She had no brothers and was thus heir to the throne. (TV: The Monster of Peladon) According to one account, her father died when she was a baby. (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Monster of Peladon)

Other accounts indicated that Thalira was not a baby but an older child when her father died. (TV: The Monster of Peladon; AUDIO: The Poison of Peladon) She held his hand on his deathbed and promised him that she would go on to thrive as the queen. (AUDIO: The Poison of Peladon)

Like all children on Peladon, Thalira was raised hearing stories of the Third Doctor (TV: The Monster of Peladon) and how he had spared Grun after defeating him and tamed Aggedor. (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Monster of Peladon) Although she was nominally the ruler of Peladon, her chancellor, Ortron, held the real power. (TV: The Monster of Peladon)

As Queen
Thanks to encouraging words from Sarah Jane Smith, who helped her get over her insecurity as a woman in a male-dominated society, Thalira began to assert herself and helped the Third Doctor defeat the plans of Eckersley and Azaxyr to take over Peladon for Galaxy 5. Eckersley took her hostage, but she was rescued by Aggedor. (TV: The Monster of Peladon)

Thalira died years later in a shuttle crash. (PROSE: Legacy)

Appearance
In her youth, Queen Thalira was slender and beautiful. A frail girl, she seemed to be almost crushed by the weight of her crown and ceremonial jewels. (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Monster of Peladon)

Behind the scenes
In Return to Peladon, Brian Hayles' original storyline for The Monster of Peladon which was set only a few years after The Curse of Peladon, Thalira was one of Peladon's advisors and had been due to marry him before he fell in love with Jo Grant.