The Cinderella Princess future Queen Anne Stuart 1702-1714

 

I have written three novels set in the reign of Queen Anne Stuart, 1702 – 1714, during which the Duke of Marlborough won the War of Spanish Succession, and the Act of Union with Scotland was signed. I hope you will enjoy Part Two of my introduction to her. 

 

The Cinderella Princess 

Part Two

 

Princess Anne’s mother died. Her father, James, Duke of York, had taken the unpopular decision to become a Roman Catholic. Her uncle, the childless King Charles II, knew politics demanded his heirs, Anne and her elder sister, Mary, be raised in the Protestant faith.  He appointed Lady Frances Villiers, a committed Anglican, as their governess and leased Richmond Palace to Frances and her husband.

The princesses benefited from country air and were privileged to live by the Thames in the days when due to bad roads the river was of great importance.

Anne’s indulgent father visited his daughters regularly, showered them with gifts and often stayed for several nights at Richmond Palace. Yet all was not well with the family. In 1673, due to the Test Act, which excluded anyone who did not take communion in the Anglican Church from public office, James was forced to resign as Lord High Admiral and to give up all his other official positions. In that age of fervent religious allegiances, I wonder what effect religious controversy had on Anne, a stubborn child.

What did Anne think when her father married fifteen-year-old Mary of Braganza? History relates that James was captivated by his bride. Looking at a copy of her portrait, I’m not surprised. She was tall with a good figure, jet black hair, a fair skin and large eyes that her contemporaries at court described as ‘full of sweetness and light’. The proud bridegroom introduced his new wife to his daughters as a ‘playmate’, but Anne formed a bond, not with her stepmother, whose children would be raised in the Roman Catholic faith, but with vivacious Sarah Churchill, who would have such a profound influence on Anne’s life.

Motherless Anne, a Protestant ‘Cinderella’ of her era, has all the ingredients of a fictional heroine, but – a member of the tragic Stuart family - what would she make of her life?

 

* * *

To read the first three chapters of Far Beyond Rubies, Tangled Love and The Captain and The Countess. My #classic#historical#romances, rich with period detail, set in Queen Anne Stuart’s reign, published by BooksWeLove, please visit my website. www.rosemarymorris.co.uk

 

The novels are available from Amazon, Books We Love, Good Reads, Kobo, Smashwords and other online stores.

 

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