Catherine & Anne: Queens, Rivals, Mothers

For centuries Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn have been pitted against each other as love rivals and very different characters. Hever Castle’s new exhibition showcases the similarities between them. Through new research, it shows that they owned copies of the same prayer book or ‘Book of Hours,’ printed in 1527. For the first time in 500 years, Catherine’s copy, on loan from The Morgan Library in New York, sits alongside Anne’s, already on display in the Castle.

Along with the Book of Hours, visitors can see a previously unexhibited panel portrait of Catherine of Aragon and replicas of the coronation robes and crown of Elizabeth I and Mary I which may also have been used by Catherine & Anne at their coronations.