A letter, said to have been written or dictated by Anne Boleyn, as she languished in the tower of London, awaiting execution, is one of the most famous artifacts associated with Henry VIII’s doomed second wife. My guest today, author, historian and researcher, Sandra Vasoli, has been working on and researching this letter for the past 12 years, discovering remarkable clues to assert its authenticity, and her research is far from over. Sandi will discuss the letter, its provenance, what is written and shares insight into the research she is undertaking, as well as her own views on why she believes the letter is authentic, and what she believes Anne was hoping to achieve when she wrote it.

Jane, Katherine and Mary Grey were the three sisters who, via their mother, were royal princesses of the house of Tudor. Jane, the eldest, is of course famous as the nine days queen, with her life ending on the executioners scaffold, the stories of her younger sisters are far less well known, despite their prominence at the royal court and the dramas that both women would go through. Today, I am pleased to welcome historian and author Leanda de Lisle onto the show for a discussion all about these three, fascinating sisters. What were their early days like, who did they marry, and why did these marriages result in both sisters spending time in prison?

She goes by many names, Elizabeth Cavendish, Elizabeth Talbot, the Countess of Shrewsbury, but is perhaps best known as Bess of Hardwick. Although not born to great wealth or even a great name, she would become one of the most significant women of Elizabeth I’s reign, and would also count two prominent claimants to the throne as members of her family, but who actually was Bess of Hardwick? How did she become such a key figure in the reign of Elizabeth I, and what exactly where the business ventures she took on, that in many respects broke the mould for a woman of the time?

In 1502 the Tudor throne was rocked by a series of catastrophes which greatly troubled the security of King Henry VII’s grip on power. To help quash further unrest, he and his queen, Elizabeth of York embarked on a long progress through the south west of England and the south east of Wales. Today I am pleased to welcome my friend and business partner, Dr Sarah Morris onto the show for a discussion about this progress. Sarah will walk us through what a progress actually was, what impact it would have on the local area, what the significance of the places we are visiting were to Henry VII, plus much more!

Tudor portrait discoveries are always exciting, and even more exciting when it’s a tudor we don’t have many portraits of to start with! I was therefore thrilled when earlier this year a portrait by Nicholas Hilliard of Lady Arbella Stuart, a one time major contender to the English throne was unearthed and identified by historians Elizabeth Goldring and Emma Rutherford. Today, I have the pleasure of having both Elizabeth and Emma onto the show for a discussion all about this painting, from how they found it, how they identified who it was and what the portrait can tell us about both the court of Queen Elizabeth I and Arbella Stuart’s position within it.

Elizabeth Fremantle is an author whose hugely popular book, Queens Gambit about Katherine Parr has now been adapted into a major film starring Alicia Vikander and Jude Law as Katherine and King Henry VIII respectively. In todays episode I chat to Elizabeth all about the book, how she came up with the idea, why she took certain character decisions and we dive into the film itself, from casting, costumes and character choices, including an amusing way that Jude Law went to extreme lengths to capture the essence of what being around Henry VIII must have been like!

Inside the tower of London two young boys, initially held in great splendour, are being seen less and less. History knows them as the princes in the tower, and their disappearance is one of, if not the greatest royal mystery in Great Britain's long and dramatic history. Although few doubt that they met their end in the Tower of London, more recently there has been a re-examination, with some believing the boys not only escaped the confines of the dreaded fortress, but lived on, to later attempt to win back the throne that should have been theirs. But what new evidence was put forward, what is the back story behind these two princes, and why is their story likely to remain unsolved?

Henry VIII had three royal nieces, and yet where Margaret Douglas and Frances Brandon are well known figures of the time, his third niece, Eleanor Clifford, Countess of Cumberland is all but unknown, despite her royal blood and the importance of her place in the line of succession. Despite her proximity to the crown, and the difficulty this often placed on people, Eleanor led a mostly happy and successful life, and yet her story is one all but overlooked, so who actually was she, who did she marry, did she have any formal role at court, well today I will explore all of this and more!

People having their heads cut off is totally and utterly intrinsically tied to Tudor history, this was, after all, the period of history which gave us a king who beheaded two of his wives! Helene Harrison, a historian and researcher has released a fascinating new book, Tudor Executions, from the Nobility to the Block, in which she explores fourteen of the most significant executions from across the Tudor era, so buckle in for a discussion all about the bloodier side of history's most infamous dynasty!

Cynthia Hand is the co-author behind the fabulous My Lady Jane book series which has now been adapted into a major television series by Prime Studios. I welcome Cynthia onto the podcast today for a discussion all about the story of My Lady Jane, from how she came up with the idea, character choices, how and what the ethian storyline came to be, so buckle in for a fun and fascinating chat, all about the bonkers world of My Lady Jane