anna of kleve the princess in the portrait

I wished that after everything that she had gone through that Anna had found her happily ever after with Otho and her son.

It was great to see this mysterious queen and how her life was, before during and after her marriage to the king. I loved it so much, and really wish that Anna had a better ending.įinal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. And personally, the most entertaining thing to me was having everyone she came across tell her how kind and patient she was, but then when she started having problems with the steward of one of her properties she would get so petty. Especially as she discovered Henry VIII and his…moods. To see how insecure she was about her relationship with the king – even her reservations before she marries him about being put aside like two of the queens before her – was a trip. It was interesting to read Anna’s life before she came to court, and it was even more interesting to read of her life at court. She was really lucky considering her history before she even met the king and became a potential wife. So I was really excited to know more about this fourth queen – although, could we really call her a queen since she never had a coronation?Īnd reading this novel.

She was barely a blip on this man’s marital history, really. He put her aside and she got to go on and live her life only she was now a princess of England, becoming the king’s sister.

When I first discovered the Tudor line and the wives of Henry VIII I always thought that other than Jane Seymour, Anna of Kleve was the luckiest of his wives. Alison Weir takes a fresh and surprising look at this remarkable royal marriage by describing it from the point of view of Queen Anna, a young woman with hopes and dreams of her own, alone in a royal court that rejected her from the day she arrived. What follows is a fascinating story of this awkward royal union that had to somehow be terminated tactfully. She is pleasant looking, just not the lady that Henry had expected. Henry is entranced by the lovely image, only to be bitterly surprised when Anna arrives in England and he sees her in the flesh. Henry requests Anna’s portrait from his court painter, who enhances her looks, painting her straight-on in order not to emphasize her rather long nose.

Now forty-six, overweight and unwell, Henry is soundly rejected by some of Europe’s most eligible princesses, but Anna of Kleve-a small German duchy-is twenty-four and eager to wed. Newly widowed and the father of an infant son, Henry VIII realizes he must marry again to insure the royal succession. Title: Ann of Kleve: The Princess in the Portrait

Anna of kleve the princess in the portrait