Queen Anna
by Tony Riches
A crown won in the eye of a storm. A queen who refuses to be broken…
Princess Anna of Denmark sails for Scotland to marry King James VI, but storms ravage her fleet, igniting a deadly obsession with witchcraft in her new home. Arriving in a strange and paranoid court, Anna finds her new husband’s bed is a treacherous place.
Surrounded by whispering courtiers and shifting alliances, Anna refuses to remain a passive pawn. When the court takes her children to raise them away from her, the young queen draws her line in the sand. From the windswept castles of Scotland to the glittering, dangerous English court, Anna is restored to her rightful place in history.
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I featured Tony’s new novel and his guest post a couple of weeks ago. I had the pleasure of reading a copy of Queen Anna and really became immersed in Tony’s storytelling and eye for detail. Here’s my review – and I’m serious, Tony, can’t wait for Henrietta Maria!
Tony Riches lets his far-reaching research lead the story in Queen Anna, and what a fascinating story it is. Born a Danish princess, Anna came to Scotland to marry James VI and became Queen of England when he inherited the English throne in 1603. She had to navigate life with a husband of brilliant intellect, who loved passionately but with sometimes dubious outcomes, and tolerate, and in some cases embrace, his succession of favourites, including Robert Carr and George Villiers. On top of all those anxieties, she navigated the very real pressure to provide the Stuart dynasty with an heir and a spare or two.
Through all of this, Riches’ Queen Anna rides calmly through chaotic times. She covertly converts to Catholicism, establishes her own circle of influence and patronage, and makes her mark on the art, music, fashion, and etiquette of the English court. Her patronage of the court masque brought her into collaboration with Inigo Jones and Ben Johnson, and her influence can be seen in the architecture and culture of the Jacobean age. Yet she remains one of England’s least-known queens.
I also wonder that if Anna had not died so young (a mere forty-four) when her son, Prince Charles, was only eighteen years old, what the outcome of English history might have been if she’d lived another twenty years. She took an interest in her children: would Charles have benefitted from her pragmatic guidance and perhaps not fallen under the influence of Buckingham, like his father? Could the English Civil War have been avoided? It’s a moot point, but an interesting one, especially when considering her character illuminated in this book. Through assiduous research and clear, informative biographical writing, Tony Riches places Anna firmly in history’s spotlight and gives her the recognition she deserves. I’m looking forward to the next in the series, about her daughter-in-law, Henrietta Maria.
Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of historical fiction. He lives with his wife in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the lives of the early Tudors.
As well as his Elizabethan series, Tony’s historical fiction novels include the best-selling Tudor trilogy and his Elizabethan series.
For more information about Tony’s books please visit his website tonyriches.com and his blog, The Writing Desk and find him on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky and Twitter @tonyriches.
