The Boleyn Secret
Alison Weir
21 May 2026
Exclusive Signed Independent Bookshop Edition

From the bestselling author of SIX TUDOR QUEENS, a captivating new novel about two Boleyn cousins, close as sisters – and the truth that will change everything.

‘Vivid and utterly addictive… brings to life a fascinating woman who has remained in the shadows for too long’ TRACY BORMAN

‘Her story is as fascinating as it is gripping… a remarkable woman who had a ring-side seat to some of the most precarious and pivotal passages of history’ ELIZABETH FREMANTLE

A BOLEYN WOMAN IS NO STRANGER TO SECRETS…

At twelve years old, Kate Carey attends her aunt, Queen Anne Boleyn, to the scaffold. Horrified by what she witnesses, Kate is convinced that King Henry VIII has sent an innocent woman to a terrible death.

As the Boleyns fall from favour, Kate serves her now motherless cousin, the young Lady Elizabeth. Bound by Boleyn blood, the two girls are like sisters, until Kate marries for love – and leaves a jealous Elizabeth behind.

At court, Kate cannot ignore the sly looks thrown her way, nor the whispers behind her back. Only when her mother, Mary, lies dying, does she learn the life-shattering truth that the Boleyns have been hiding for years.

It is a secret that will haunt Kate throughout her life, as her family flee into exile, only returning home when Elizabeth becomes queen. But the bond between the Boleyn cousins will never be the same again…

PRAISE FOR ALISON WEIR’S TUDOR FICTION

‘History has the best stories and they should all be told like this’ CONN IGGULDEN

‘As always, Alison Weir is ahead of the curve – and at the top of her game’ SARAH GRISTWOOD

‘Alison Weir makes history come alive as no one else’ BARBARA ERSKINE

‘Weir is excellent on the little details that bring a world to life’ GUARDIAN

‘Profoundly moving… lingers long after the last page’ ELIZABETH FREMANTLE