Wendy Holden and Elizabeth Goldring in conversation - Gower Street
Schedule
Tue Jun 30 2026 at 06:30 pm to 07:30 pm
UTC+01:00Location
Waterstones | London, EN
About this Event
Join us for a fascinating evening with Wendy Holden and Elizabeth Goldring led by Suzi Feay discussing the influence of Hans Holbein over the Tudor Court.
When the brilliant young Holbein arrives at the Tudor court, Anne Boleyn is among his first patrons. As she rises to the top, Hans rises with her. Courtiers clamour for his portraits of life-like accuracy; pictures which tell the truth about their subjects.
When his beloved Anne is beheaded on false evidence, Hans is heartbroken and enraged. And he's not alone. Poet and diplomat Thomas Wyatt is agonised at his own unwitting part in her tragedy. He and Hans join forces and vow revenge on the person they blame for Anne's downfall: Thomas Cromwell, the king's ruthless chief minister.
But what can a poet and painter do against the most powerful man in England? The answer comes when Henry VIII seeks a fourth wife. Cromwell turns to Holbein and Wyatt, his trusted artist and envoy, to travel across Europe to find and paint a new bride. Cromwell's position depends on a portrait of someone young and beautiful, painted with Hans' trademark truth. Anything less could bring the whole court crashing down.
It's the opportunity they've been waiting for...
Wendy Holden is a Sunday Times No.1 bestselling author whose 21 books have sold over 3 million copies. Born in Yorkshire she read English at Cambridge then spent 14 years as a journalist on the Sunday Times, Mail on Sunday, Harpers Bazaar and Tatler before becoming a novelist.
Elizabeth Goldring is an honorary Professor at the University of Warwick and a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and the Royal Historical Society. She is the author of Nicholas Hilliard: Life of an Artist and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and the World of Elizabethan Art.
Suzi Feay is the former literary editor of the Independent and hosts a YouTube channel of author interviews, Suzi's Book Bag.
Where is it happening?
Waterstones, 82 Gower Street, London, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 7.00 to GBP 43.00
