Who taught Catherine of Aragon English, helped Anne Boleyn get dressed in the morning or discussed sex with Anne of Cleves?

A thrilling narrative history of the oft-overlooked yet hugely influential figures of the Tudor court: the ladies-in-waiting.

Every queen had ladies-in-waiting. Her confidantes and chaperones, they are the forgotten agents of the Tudor court. Ever present and yet hidden behind the scenes, these women held the secrets and the hearts of some of the Tudor period's most powerful men and women.

Experts at survival, negotiating the competing demands of their families and their queen, the ladies-in-waiting of Henry VIII's wives were far more than decorative 'extras': they were serious political players who changed the course of history, and four of them became queen themselves. The Waiting Game is the first to tell their story.

This event will be in-person only, taking place in the Cathedral Library. The doors will open at 6.45pm and copies of The Waiting Game will be available to buy on the evening.

Nicola Clark has a PhD in Early Modern History from Royal Holloway and is a Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Chichester. Her research focuses primarily on women's dynastic and political roles across the late medieval and early modern period. Her first book, Gender, Family, and Politics: The Howard Women, 1485-1558, was published by Oxford University Press in 2018, and she also writes for public audiences, with work featured in History Today and on the History Extra website. She has spoken about her research at events for Historic Royal Palaces, the National Archives, various schools, and academic institutions, and was the historical research specialist for the 2016 BBC1 docu-drama Six Wives, presented by Lucy Worsley.