Philippa Gregory

Your Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What books are to come in the future?

The White Queen will be the first in a series of books about The Cousins’ War.  The next book will be The Red Queen, which will feature the ambitious Lancastrian Margaret Beaufort, mother to Henry VII, who spent her life determined to see him as King.  Against all odds, she succeeded and lived long enough to see her grandson, Henry VIII inherit the throne.  The third book will be The White Princess, which tells the story of Elizabeth, princess of York, Elizabeth Woodville’s daughter who I think, fell deeply in love with her uncle Richard III but must marry Henry VII after the defeat at Bosworth.

Q. Which of your books is your favourite?

My favourite book is normally the most recent book, as I have lived and breathed the characters for so long.  The Queen’s Fool remains a firm favourite but as I have just finished work on The White Queen about Elizabeth Woodville, it is my most precious.  That said, I am also working on The Red Queen and The White Princess and I’m finding the war of the roses a fascinating period.

Q. Have you ever considered writing about Laetitia Knollys?

I agree that Laetitia Knollys was a fascinating woman. She appears briefly in my novel The Virgin’s Lover, which you might enjoy but I would love to write a novel about her in the future.

Q. Are you going to write any more about Queen Elizabeth?

Elizabeth is such a key figure and she comes into two of my published books, The Queens Fool (as a young Princess) and The Virgin’s Lover (in her first years as Queen).

Q. Have you ever considered writing about Jane Seymour?

I think I covered much of Jane’s courtship in The Other Boleyn Girl and I have to say, she does not interest me as much as the other wives.

.Q. In The Boleyn Inheritance, you depict the life of King Henry VIII and his court through the eyes of three very different characters and use this technique in The Other Queen too. Why did you choose to narrate in first person?

I have a great liking for the first person narrative because I think it gets the reader into the head of the character; it’s a very immediate style. For The Boleyn Inheritance I realized that I wanted to tell the story from the point of view of the three women who were so intimately involved in the perils of being Queen of England at this time. Anne of Cleves, the wife that Henry chooses and rejects, Katherine Howard the girl he adores but who is too young to keep herself safe, and the woman who advises them both to their great danger: Lady Rochford, Jane Boleyn.  I liked it so much, I replicated it for The Other Queen, using narrative from Mary, Queen of Scots, Bess of Hardwick and Bess’s husband George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury.

Q. How much of what is written about the characters in the Boleyn series is fact and how much is fiction?

This is an almost impossible question to answer since each character and each novel is different. By and large the fiction fills in the gaps of the known historical record and brings it to life. In a story such as that of Elizabeth 1 when we know so much about what she thought and did the fiction animates the story that we know (and sometimes gives us a different slant on the well-known material) In a story like that of Mary Boleyn we know only the slimmest outline and the fiction fills in the gaps.

Q. In what order did you write the newest series of books?

It happens that I wrote the books out of order. But if you want to establish the time line of the novels they would go: The Constant Princess (Katherine of Aragon); The Other Boleyn Girl (Anne Boleyn); The Boleyn Inheritance (Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard); The Queens Fool (Mary Tudor and Elizabeth 1) and The Virgin’s Lover (Elizabeth 1).  And, to be published in 2008, The Other Queen (Mary Queen of Scots).

Q. Where might I be able to get a copy of The Other Boleyn Girl in another language?

You will find a list of international publications in the section for Other Writing.

Q. I’m thinking of doing research into my family tree, and I’m hopeful to go back to the Tudors. Do you know of any sources I could use to help me do this?

On my website at the moment we have posted a paper by Henry Fitzhugh who has been investigating his possible descent from Mary Boleyn and King Henry VIII.  It is likely he is Mary Boleyn’s great x14 grandson.  Many people have written to Henry to talk more about their Tudor forefathers. You will find his email address within the article and I’m sure he’d be happy to hear from you.

Q. I am looking for the family tree mentioned in The Boleyn Inheritance?

We did have the family tree on the site for some time, but, as it was hand-drawn visitors were not able to see the text properly.  We had to take it down but, as you may have noticed, we have recently re-launched the website and the web team is working at getting a new family tree with my notes onto the site shortly.

In the meantime, you may like this site – http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page11.asp – which has a PDF of the Tudor family tree.

Q. Can I send you my copy of your book for signature?

I am sorry but I cannot accept books for signing.  I can only sign books at an official signing or for some of my charities.