The story of Anne of Cleves, the fourth of Henry VIII’s sixth wives, has been overlooked in favour of his more well-known spouses. Anne is remembered as the wife Henry did not want to marry and soon rejected. Watkin’s biography is an interesting and fast-paced look at the life of the woman who was married to Henry for less time than his other Queens but outlived his later wives and survived to see two of her step children rule.
Mentions of Anne in books about the much married King, tend to concentrate on her brief time as Queen of England. Here, Watkins delves into Anne’s upbringing in Germany which helps to explain just how unprepared she was for life at the English court. What is particularly fascinating is what happened to Anne after the divorce, how she adapted to life as the ‘King’s Sister’ and weathered the turbulent reigns that followed.
For those wanting to learn about the fourth wife of Henry VIII, this is an excellent place to start.
Thank you to Chronos Books for my review copy
