For the first time I felt as though, thanks to Alison’s skilful writing and storytelling, I came to “know” Katharine’ NICOLA TALLIS Acclaimed, bestselling historian Alison Weir draws on new evidence to conjure a startling image of Anna as you’ve never seen her before. A charming, spirited woman, she was loved by all who knew her – and even, ultimately, by the King who rejected her. You can read more about my Six Tudor Queens series and a lot of other fascinating historical topics at http://hforhistory.co.uk/

The heir to the throne, Henry’s affections for Katherine are initially quite true and strong. And Katherine’s fondness for her king knows no measure. But then politics, tradition, and religion eventually come into the mix, threatening the foundation Katherine and Henry had built.Alison Weir is the top-selling female historian (and the fifth best-selling historian overall) in the United Kingdom, and has sold over 2.7 million books worldwide. She has published seventeen history books, including The Six Wives of Henry VIII, The Princes in the Tower, Elizabeth the Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry VIII: King and Court, Katherine Swynford, The Lady in the Tower and Elizabeth of York. Alison has also published five historical novels, including Innocent Traitor and The Lady Elizabeth. Her latest biography is The Lost Tudor Princess, about Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox. She is soon to publish Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen, the first in a series of novels about the wives of Henry VIII. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences and an Honorary Life Patron of Historic Royal Palaces, and is married with two adult children. The novel provides a fascinating glimpse into the personal life of Queen Katherine behind the intricate and vicious political intrigues of the Tudor court… Meticulous research, combined with Alison Weir’s empathy for her subject, makes this an illuminating and engaging portrait of ‘the true Queen.’” (Historical Novels Review) You can read my blog, The Real Prince of the Roses, at http://hforhistory.co.uk/article/real-prince-roses-alison-weir/

This series hinges on King Henry’s determination to sire an heir. The Six Tudor Queens series takes readers to a time when England had fallen into and survived a series of Civil Wars, the result of many a messy conflict over the subject of inheritance. Katherine of Aragon is meticulously researched. This faithfulness to the history is the novel’s great strength." (The Times) Alison Weir, historian and author of the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling SIX TUDOR QUEENS series, recounts the story of Henry VIII’s last wife – Katharine Parr, the queen who survived him. Katherine Swynford: The Story of John of Gaunt and His Scandalous Duchess/Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster (2007)Sadly for the audience Alison didn’t divulge much more or go into precise details. We’ll have to wait for the books. King Henry VIII spends the Six Tudor Queens series determined to steer his kingdom clear of further strife. And he believes that a male heir will permit him to do just that. In fact, even though Anne Boleyn’s beauty ultimately stole Henry’s love away from his first wife, it was Katherine’s inability to give him a male heir that first fractured their relationship. Margery Otwell, a self-made gentleman's young daughter, gets her first taste of courtly life when she takes up a position as chamberer to Lady Peche of Lullingstone Castle. Dances, music, feasting - and a seduction - follow, and Margery learns the rules of courtly love the hard way.

Listen to my interview with Donna Freed for Radio Gorgeous here: https://audioboom.com/boos/4580395-alison-weir-katherine-of-aragon-the-true-queen-six-tudor-queens-author-of-the-week-with-donna-freedSix weeks from home across treacherous seas, everything is different: the language, the food, the weather. And for her there is no comfort in any of it. At sixteen years old, Catalina is alone among strangers.