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Tracy Borman is the chief historian of Historic Royal Palaces. Her new novel, <\/em>The House of Boleyn<\/a>, is out today from Grove Atlantic. Below, she discusses myths and misconceptions about Anne Boleyn.<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019ve spent most of my career studying Anne Boleyn and have an almost daily reminder of her bloody fate at the Tower of London, where I work when I\u2019m not writing books. <\/p>\n Her story has been told many times, but in my new novel, The House of Boleyn<\/em>, I wanted to bring a fresh perspective\u2014and, crucially, to strip away the layers of myth and misrepresentation that have distorted it over the centuries.\u00a0<\/p>\n To do so, I set it entirely at Hever Castle, the Boleyns\u2019 beautiful and much-loved family home. It was fascinating to explore what this famous family was truly like behind the courtier mask: how they used Hever to escape the snakepit of Henry VIII\u2019s court, plan their next move, enjoy their triumphs, and lick their wounds. <\/p>\n There was not a nook or cranny of this fairytale-like castle that I didn\u2019t explore while conducting my research. I was thrilled to discover a secret cupboard hidden in the panelling of Anne Boleyn\u2019s bedchamber, where I like to think she concealed her secret love letters!<\/p>\n On the subject of Anne\u2019s love life, perhaps the most remarkable discovery I made was that her heart lay not with Henry VIII but with someone closer to home (I\u2019m not going to say who\u2014that would spoil the book!). <\/p>\n I also loved bringing the lesser-known Boleyns out of the shadows, in particular Anne\u2019s formidable grandmother Lady Margaret Butler and her sister-in-law Jane, Lady Rochford, who is so often\u2014and, as I found out, unjustifiably\u2014cast as a villain.<\/p>\n Having spent years immersing myself in the Boleyns\u2019 story, what became startlingly clear was how misunderstood they have been. Contrary to the popular image of Anne\u2019s father, Thomas, as a grasping courtier who pushed her into Henry VIII\u2019s path to further his own ambitions, the evidence strongly suggests that he tried to protect Anne from a king he knew to be deadly. <\/p>\n Neither did Anne herself aim for the crown from Day 1. In fact, she did everything she could to avoid it. <\/p>\n But there\u2019s only so long you can say no to Henry VIII.<\/p>\n For more like this, sign up for the\u00a0Book Riot Newsletter<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n