When King Henry VIII defeated Richard III on the battlefield at Bosworth, a succession of Tudor monarchs then ruled England. Aside from Henry VIII, they included Mary I (Katherine of Aragon’s daughter) and Elizabeth I (Anne Boleyn’s daughter). Find out more about the royal Tudors at www.tudorhistory.org

The Alhambra Palace, Katherine of Aragon’s home before journeying to England, is in Granada, a city located at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in southern Spain. Learn more about the town and the palace at www.andalucia.com/cities/granada and www.alhambradegranada.org

In The Constant Princess, (please check this, I believe it is on the journey towards Ludlow castle) on the evening of their arrival at Ludlow Castle, Katherine shares with Arthur some of the traditions and customs of her homeland, one of which is serving tapas, small portions of food on individual plates. More than 70 tapas recipes can be found at www.tienda.com/recipes/recipes.html , along with ideas for main courses, soups, salads, and desserts. Recipes for various kinds of sangria, a Spanish punch, can be found at www.spain-recipes.com/sangriarecipe.html

Philippa Gregory’s own website Philippa Gregory.com welcomes visitors to the readers group and to read about the background of the books including this one. See also Philippa’s account of her trip to Granada and other travel journalism. She also joins the readers group for discussion of the books.