There’s only so long you can say no to Henry VIII

Tracy Borman is the chief historian of Historic Royal Palaces. Her new novel, The House of Boleyn, is out today from Grove Atlantic. Below, she discusses myths and misconceptions about Anne Boleyn. I’ve spent most of my career studying Anne Boleyn and have an almost daily reminder of her bloody fate at the Tower of London, where I work when I’m not writing books. Her story has been told many times, but in my new novel, The House of Boleyn, I wanted to bring a fresh perspective—and, crucially, to strip away the layers of myth and misrepresentation that have distorted it over the centuries. To do so, I set it entirely at Hever Castle, the Boleyns’ beautiful and much-loved family home. It was fascinating to explore what this famous family was truly like behind the courtier mask: how they used Hever to escape the snakepit of Henry VIII’s court, plan their next move, enjoy their triumphs, and lick their wounds. There was not a nook or cranny of this fairytale-like castle that I didn’t explore while conducting my research. I was thrilled to discover a secret cupboard hidden in the panelling of Anne Boleyn’s bedchamber, where I like to think she concealed her secret love letters! On the s...