It’s time for another treat from the Anne Boleyn Files Calendar and today we have a wonderful contribution from author and historian Gareth Russell.
Gareth’s latest book is “Do Let’s Have Another Drink”, a biography of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and he’s sharing an interesting Anne Boleyn-linked excerpt with us. Thank you, Gareth!
To access the Advent Calendar, simply click here, or on the image in this post, or on the website header. You can catch up with any you have missed.
Enjoy two further Tudor treats:
- Today’s video in my “The Tudors in their own words” series – click here.
- Teasel’s Tudor Trivia – 18 December – How to dye your hair red Tudor style – click here.
Today Songs Of Praise was coming from Hever Castle, and of course it showed portraits of Anne, including the famous rose portrait and another much later one, it showed her book of hours and spoke of how Anne her mother and sister would bring in greenery from the gardens and decorate the hall with it at Christmas, the castle had some beautiful Christmas trees and decorations and must have looked magical when the snow fell last Sunday, we are so lucky to still have Hever with us, as it is our link to Henry’s tragic queen, as the narrator explained, this was her childhood home, it’s where she escaped to when the pressures of courtly life became too much for her, and also said it’s where she pledged to marry the king, I think that bit is fantasy though, they could have been anywhere when Anne accepted Henry’s offer of marriage, but this castle did share the tragedies and dramas of her life, it’s where she felt at peace, she walked amongst the gardens and rode her horse in the meadows, she was banished there when her secret engagement to Harry Percy became known and only this ancient building knows the tears she shed and the frustration and heartache she suffered, her emotions must be trapped in its mellowed ancient brick walls, her very soul is part of it and as long as Hever endures we still have that tenable link to Englands most famous queen.