In celebration of the 500th anniversary of Anne Boleyn’s triumphant début at the English court on 4th March 1522, Owen Emmerson and Kate McCaffrey explore Anne’s early life, education, family and upbringing. This is the story of what made Anne Boleyn into the woman who captured the heart of a king, divided a kingdom, and gave birth to the most famous written in English history.

“Only by meticulously piecing together the disparate threads of her life can we get close to the real Anne. That is precisely what Owen Emmerson and Kate McCaffrey have done in this wonderful book. From the origins of the Boleyn family to Anne’s childhood and her formative years in the Netherlands and France, to her dazzling debut at the court of Henry VIII exactly 500 years ago, Becoming Anne brings this complex, controversial and endlessly fascinating woman to life. Original letters and artefacts, some from Hever Castle’s own rich collection, are interwoven with a wealth of engaging, often surprising details about the woman who was variously described as the king’s ‘Concubine’ and ‘Elect of God’. This is Anne Boleyn as you have never seen her before.”

Dr Tracy Borman