In today’s Tudor Christmas Advent episode, I’m sharing Hever as you may never have seen it: dressed in its glowing Christmas finery and wrapped in the quiet magic of midwinter. But Hever is more than beautiful… it is the backdrop to a moment Dr Owen Emmerson and I believe changed the course of Tudor history.

During the Christmas season of 1526 into early 1527, something happened here, something that shifted Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s future, and with it, the future of England.

Anne was away from court, surrounded by family, and finally had the space to reflect on Henry’s increasingly urgent pursuit. What unfolded at Hever that Christmas would set the stage for everything that came next.

In this episode, I’ll take you through Hever’s festive rooms and frosted gardens, sharing photographs taken this December by Dr Owen Emmerson and some of my own from Christmases past… while we explore how one winter retreat became a turning point in Tudor history.

If you visit Hever at Christmastime, I invite you to imagine Anne here in 1526, facing a decision that would shape not only her destiny, but the destiny of a kingdom.

Let’s step into Hever Castle at Christmas… 

And if you’d like to know even more about Anne’s family and their beloved home, do take a look at "The Boleyns of Hever Castle".

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