Helene Harrison on The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn

Who’s the “real” Anne Boleyn—the medal, the portraits, or the version we’ve imagined? In this interview, Helene Harrison joins me to discuss her book The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn: Interpreting Image and Perception—not a biography, but a study of how Anne has been seen across centuries. We explore:

• What readers should unlearn about Anne’s image
• Beyond the 1534 medal: which likeness may come closest—and which is most misleading
• Foreign observers (ambassadors, visitors): who reads Anne well, and who writes with an agenda?
• Evidence vs. imagination: where the record ends and interpretation begins
• Stage/film/TV: what one portrayal gets right—and what most get wrong

I’m Claire Ridgway, historian, author, and host of the Anne Boleyn Files & Tudor Society. If you enjoy deep dives into Tudor history, please like, subscribe, and share your thoughts below. Get Helene’s book & follow her work: Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Many-Faces-Anne-Boleyn-Interpreting/dp/1036105024/ Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/Many-Faces-Anne-Boleyn-Interpreting/dp/1036105024/ Website - https://tudorblogger.com/