Anna of Kleve, the Princess in the Portrait Audiobook By Alison Weir cover art

Anna of Kleve, the Princess in the Portrait

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Anna of Kleve, the Princess in the Portrait

By: Alison Weir
Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.79

Buy for $25.79

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

The surprising and dramatic life of the least known of King Henry VIII's wives is illuminated in the fourth volume in the Six Tudor Queens series - for fans of Philippa Gregory, Hilary Mantel, and The Crown.

Newly widowed and the father of an infant son, Henry VIII realizes he must marry again to ensure the royal succession. Forty-six, overweight, and suffering from gout, Henry is soundly rejected by some of Europe's most eligible princesses. Anna of Kleve, from a small German duchy, is 24 and has a secret she is desperate to keep hidden. Henry requests her portrait from his court painter, who portrays her from the most flattering perspective. Henry is entranced by the lovely image, only to be bitterly surprised when Anna arrives in England and he sees her in the flesh. Some think her attractive, but Henry knows he can never love her. What follows is the fascinating story of an awkward royal union that had somehow to be terminated.

Even as Henry begins to warm to his new wife and share her bed, his attention is captivated by one of her maids of honor. Will he accuse Anna of adultery as he did Queen Anne Boleyn and send her to the scaffold? Or will he divorce her and send her home in disgrace?

Alison Weir takes a fresh and astonishing look at this remarkable royal marriage by describing it from the point of view of Queen Anna, a young woman with hopes and dreams of her own, alone and fearing for her life in a royal court that rejected her almost from the day she set foot on England's shore.

©2019 Alison Weir (P)2019 Recorded Books
Biographical Fiction Fiction Royalty Sagas Marriage England King Tudor Fiction
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Featured Article: The top 100 series of all time


The feeling of discovering that your favorite new listen is actually the start of a series is euphoric. That you can immediately hit play and re-enter a beloved new world, or love story, or era from history is a gift to the devoted listener. But how to pick just 100 of these unique and immersive listening journeys? We defined a series as having a minimum of three books, and—after some debate—we decided the titles had to be anchored in fiction. From YA to horror to historical fiction, from fresh voices to seminal tales, hours of discovery await.

What listeners say about Anna of Kleve, the Princess in the Portrait

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    515
  • 4 Stars
    161
  • 3 Stars
    59
  • 2 Stars
    14
  • 1 Stars
    6
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    527
  • 4 Stars
    101
  • 3 Stars
    30
  • 2 Stars
    9
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    435
  • 4 Stars
    148
  • 3 Stars
    57
  • 2 Stars
    19
  • 1 Stars
    5

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Much Better Read and Expected

I actually thought I wouldn't much like this book because some of the story is entirely fictional. There's no evidence that Anna of Cleves had children before her marriage to Henry VIII, That being said, it was a very interesting story. I knew almost nothing on Anna so I learned a lot. Definitely recommend it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Rosalyn Landor makes it worthwhile!

This is just good fun, with a smattering of history and a lot of fun drama that fills in the blanks. There's not a lot of known facts about Anna's early life, nor her private moments with the king, so there has to be invention and speculation on the author's part. But the author's note at the end gives the reader an idea of what is likely to be more factual.

Were it not for being a story of a real person, and based on history, I don't think this would hold up as a good read. But given that Anna of Kleve was one of Henry VIII's wives, it is interesting and entertaining, as well.

Rosalyn Landor is, in my opinion, the best female Audible reader. She is the only female reader who can do a satisfactory man's voice, and she has an amazing talent for making all the voices, male and female, distinctive and different. I wish she could read more of Audible's books. A very talented reader, and I greatly appreciate what she adds to everything she reads.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Alison Weir at her best... A must read/listen

For those who have read her works, no rating will be necessary.... she is absolutely superb; I can barely imagine the amount of research required for a fact-based fiction novel.
I have been reading Ms Weir’s work for so long that her visual images have become my mental pictures of events portrayed in her novels (Except for the high infant mortality rates, no vaccines or antibiotics, no one ever bathing, no deodorants, no indoor plumbing, and clothing that couldn’t be cleaned- velvet was just brushed off and reworn, ad infinitum)
If you are wondering, I strongly suggest you read the stories in order, perhaps starting with her book about Henry VIII himself.
I promise: you WILL become an addict, like so many of us!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very well done

This was a wonderful account of Anne of Kleve. I was glad to listen. Very informative.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful story

Interesting take on the most unknown Queen of Henry VIII. I sincerely enjoyed the fictionalized portions of the book....the Otto love story. I actually cried at the end having felt such despair for her and Otto. Rosalyn Landor did one of her BEST narrations. She is amazing. I highly recommend this book for lovers of history ...since most of it is based on actual historical events and for those who just like a good romance. I thought it was terrific.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A must for any Tudor fan

This author gave so much personality to Anna of Kleves. she's such a little known wife in contrast to the other dramatic wives, it was nice to pretend like she was this kind and steadfast. My only criticism remains that all the make characters sound just alike, played by the same woman. But, worth it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Tudor Queens

I love these books. The narration makes one feel you are in the room where it is happeneing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Could not stop listening...

I had forgotten the story of Henry's wives so this kept me on tenterhooks wondering how it would end. Great book. Loved every minute of it. Great reader too.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

This book was absolutely wonderful to listen to. The narrator, although female, actually did a very good job sounding like a 'man' during the Male speaking parts.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fiction, but fun

An excellent narration of the imagined story of Ann of Cleves, Henry VIII’s divorced and surviving wife.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!