TRACY BORMAN
Acclaimed author, historian, and Joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces.
KENSINGTON GARDENS
A WALKING TOUR THROUGH KENSINGTON GARDENS
It is the year 1734 and King George II reigns over England. Kensington Palace is the center of court and its gardens are the place to be seen. Take a stroll with Henrietta Howard, the King’s mistress of 20 years, and delight in her knowledge of the gardens as well as her intimate familiarity with life in the Georgian Court.
Step inside the true Tales of a Mistress as you walk on the same spot of ground as King George II, Queen Caroline and their royal courtiers.
This experience begins at the King’s Arms Gate at the Southwestern entrance to Kensington Gardens.
BOOKS BY TRACY BORMAN
"Once again, Tracy Borman has given us an outstanding page-turner, a stunning novel of the corrupt and dangerous Jacobean court, in which a courageous heroine pits her wits against a very nasty and determined villain. This is historical fiction at its absolute best. A fitting end to a fabulous trilogy!" ― Alison Weir
‘A compelling tale of corruption, danger and coruscating suspicion, The King's Witch carries the reader right to the heart of James I's court – and casts a dazzling new light onto one of the most dramatic moments in British history.' - Sarah Gristwood
Henry VIII and the men who made him: The secret history behind the Tudor throne (2018)
"Henry killed two queens, but also two chief ministers, two dukes, a marquess, two earls, several barons, and various abbots, bishops, musicians and politicians - most of whom he had previously treated as friends. Borman is a steady guide to this sad compendium of tyranny ... always alive to the scuttlebutt of the 16th-century court." - Sunday Times
"In this stunning book, Tracy Borman proves yet again that she is at the top of her field. It's an outstanding work of historical artistry, a brilliantly woven and pacy story of the men who surrounded, influenced and sometimes plagued Henry VIII. Borman is in complete command of the vast source material, and affords us a new perspective on a king who has dominated the national consciousness for centuries - no mean achievement. Masterful, and hugely impressive, this is one Tudor book you must not miss!" - Alison Weir
The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain's Greatest Dynasty (2017)
"Tracy Borman's eye for detail is impressive; the book is packed with fascinating courtly minutiae... this is a wonderful book." - The Times
"Borman is an authoritative and engaging writer, good at prising out those humanising details that make the past alive to us." The Observer
Thomas Cromwell: The untold story of Henry VIII's most faithful servant (2015)
'This deeply researched and grippingly written biography brings Cromwell to life and exposes the Henrician court in all its brutal, glittering splendour.' -Kate Williams, Independent
"Elegant...her prose, as ever, glides beautifully along." ― Sunday Times
Witches: James I and the English Witch Hunts (2014)
"Gripping… Stirring witchcraft, politics and sexual perversity into the cauldron of a superstitious age, Tracy Borman seasons her brew with suggestions of poisoning and the black arts." -- Iain Finlayson ― The Times
"Tracy Borman has written a thorough and beautifully researched social history of the early 1600s, taking in everything from folk medicine to James I’s sex life." -- Bella Bathurst ― Observer
Matilda: Wife of the Conqueror, First Queen of England (2012)
"Tracy Borman tells this story with a steady eye and a steady hand, tracing what can be known of Matilda's part in the events that were to change the course of English history." -- Helen Castor ― Literary Review
"Borman shows that Matilda was a capable regent and political operator... Matilda remains relevant: one legacy is her bloodline, which still rules in Britain today." ― Sunday Times
Elizabeth's Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen (2010)
"It’s a challenge to cast fresh light on figures such as Anne Boleyn and Mary Tudor, but Borman rises to it… Perhaps Borman’s most significant achievement is to have given us and innovative exploration of the implications of Elizabeth’s gender for her queenship, and a new perspective on this most closely studied of reigns"--BBC History Magazine
King's Mistress, Queen's Servant: The Life and Times of Henrietta Howard (2010)
"It is the great strength of Tracy Borman's engaging new biography that, like Alison Weir and David Starkey before her, she manages to throw new light on the influence and careers of women in European courts." -- Stella Tillyard, Sunday Times
"Borman has certainly found an unsung and unusual heroine, what elevates her biography above the others in its genre is the author's sense of humour." - Times Literary Supplement