Philippa Gregory (born 9 January 1954) is an English historical novelist who has been publishing since 1987. The best known of her works is ''

The Other Boleyn Girl ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2001) is a historical novel written by British author Philippa Gregory, loosely based on the life of 16th-century aristocrat Mary Boleyn (the sister of Anne Boleyn) of whom little is known. Inspired by Mary's life s ...

'' (2001), which in 2002 won the

Romantic Novel of the Year Award The Romantic Novel of the Year Award is an award for romance novels since 1960, presented by Romantic Novelists' Association, and since 2003, the novellas, also won the Love Story of the Year (now RoNA Rose Award). In 2018, awards were given to ...

from the Romantic Novelists' Association and has been adapted into two films. '' AudioFile'' magazine has called Gregory "the queen of British historical fiction".

Early life and education

Philippa Gregory was born on 9 January 1954 in Nairobi, at that time serving as capital city of the

Colony and Protectorate of Kenya The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya, commonly known as British Kenya or British East Africa, was part of the British Empire in Africa. It was established when the former East Africa Protectorate was transformed into a British Crown colony in ...

(modern-day Republic of Kenya), the second daughter of Elaine (Wedd) and Arthur Percy Gregory, a radio operator and navigator for

East African Airways East African Airways Corporation, more commonly known as East African Airways, was an airline jointly run by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. It was set up on 1 January 1946, starting operations the same year. The airline was headquartered in the Sa ...

. When she was two years old, her family moved to Bristol, England.Philippa Gregory walk at BBC Bristol
Retrieved 6 June 2013. She was a "rebel" at

Colston's Girls' School Montpelier High School (formerly Colston's Girls' School) is a girls secondary academy (English school), Academy, located in the Montpelier, Bristol, Montpelier area of Bristol, England. The school building was designed by William Venn Gough and ...

Philippa Gregory at Chroniclelive
Retrieved 6 June 2013. where she obtained a B grade in English and two E grades in History and Geography at

A-level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

. She then went to journalism college in Cardiff and spent a year as an apprentice with the '' Portsmouth News'' before she managed to gain a place on an English literature degree course at the University of Sussex, where she switched to a history course. In 1982, she received a B.A. degree in history from Sussex University.Philippa Gregory ''The Guardian Education'' interview
Retrieved 6 June 2013. She worked for BBC radio for two years before attending University of Edinburgh, where she obtained a Ph.D. degree in 18th-century literature in 1985 for her thesis entitled "The popular fiction of eighteenth-century commercial circulating libraries". Gregory has taught at the University of Durham, University of Teesside, and the Open University, and was made a Fellow of Kingston University in 1994.

Career

Writing

She has written novels set in several different historical periods, though primarily the Tudor period and the 16th century. Reading a number of novels set in the 17th century led her to write the best-selling Lacey trilogy ''

Wideacre ''Wideacre'' is a 1987 historical novel by Philippa Gregory. This novel is Gregory's debut, and the first in the ''Wideacre'' trilogy that includes ''The Favoured Child'' (1989) and ''Meridon'' (1990). Set in the second half of the 18th centur ...

'', which is a story about the love of land and incest, ''The Favoured Child'' and ''Meridon''. This was followed by ''The Wise Woman''. ''A Respectable Trade'', a novel of the slave trade in England, set in 18th-century Bristol, was adapted by Gregory for a four-part drama series for BBC television. Gregory's script was nominated for a BAFTA, won an award from the Committee for Racial Equality, and the film was shown worldwide. Two novels about a gardening family are set during the English Civil War: ''Earthly Joys'' and ''Virgin Earth'', while she has in addition written contemporary fiction – ''Perfectly Correct'', ''Mrs Hartley and the Growth Centre'', ''The Little House'' and ''Zelda's Cut''. She has also written for children. Some of her novels have won awards and have been adapted into television dramas. The most successful of her novels has been ''

,'' published in 2001 and adapted for BBC television in 2003 with Natascha McElhone, Jodhi May and Jared Harris. In the year of its publication, ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' also won the

Romantic Novel of the Year The Romantic Novel of the Year Award is an award for romance novels since 1960, presented by Romantic Novelists' Association, and since 2003, the novellas, also won the Love Story of the Year (now RoNA Rose Award). In 2018, awards were given to ...

and it has subsequently spawned sequels – '' The Queen's Fool,'' ''

The Virgin's Lover ''The Virgin's Lover'' is a historical novel written by British author Philippa Gregory. It belongs to her series of Tudor novels, including '' The Constant Princess'', ''The Other Boleyn Girl'', ''The Boleyn Inheritance'', and ''The Queen' ...

,'' ''

The Constant Princess ''The Constant Princess'' is a historical fiction novel by Philippa Gregory, published in 2005. The novel depicts a highly fictionalized version of the life of Catherine of Aragon and her rise to power in England. Plot summary Catalina of Ara ...

,'' '' The Boleyn Inheritance,'' and ''

The Other Queen ''The Other Queen'' is a 2008 historical novel by British author Philippa Gregory which chronicles the long imprisonment in England of Mary, Queen of Scots. The story is told from three points of view: Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots; Elizabeth Ta ...

''.

Miramax Miramax, LLC, also known as Miramax Films, is an American film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. It was initially a leadi ...

bought the film rights to ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' and released a film of the same name in February 2008. Gregory has also published a series of books about the Plantagenets, the ruling houses that preceded the Tudors, and the Wars of the Roses. Her first book '' The White Queen'', published in 2009, centres on the life of

Elizabeth Woodville Elizabeth Woodville (also spelt Wydville, Wydeville, or Widvile;Although spelling of the family name is usually modernised to "Woodville", it was spelt "Wydeville" in contemporary publications by Caxton, but her tomb at St. George's Chapel, Wind ...

the wife of

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

. '' The Red Queen'', published in 2010, is about Margaret Beaufort the mother of Henry VII and grandmother to

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

. ''

The Lady of the Rivers ''The Lady of the Rivers'' is a 2011 historical novel by Philippa Gregory, part of her series ''The Cousins' War''. The story is narrated by Jacquetta of Luxembourg, mother of Elizabeth Woodville, and covers the reign of the Lancastrian King Hen ...

'' (2011), is the life of Jacquetta of Luxembourg, mother of Elizabeth Woodville. ''

The Kingmaker's Daughter ''The Kingmaker's Daughter'' is a 2012 historical novel by Philippa Gregory, part of her series ''The Cousins' War''. It is the story of Anne Neville, wife of Richard III of England. The 2013 BBC One television series '' The White Queen'' is ...

'', published in 2012, is about Anne Neville, the wife of

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

, and '' The White Princess'' (2013) centres on the life of Elizabeth of York, wife of Henry VII and the mother of Henry VIII. The latest work is the 2017 novel ''

The Last Tudor ''The Last Tudor'' is a historical novel by British author Philippa Gregory, published on 9 August 2016. It recounts the story of Lady Mary Grey, the 'last Tudor' and sister to Jane Grey who was Queen of England for nine days, and Lady Katherine ...

''. The 2013 BBC One television series '' The White Queen'' is a 10-part adaptation of Gregory's novels ''The White Queen'', ''The Red Queen'' and ''The Kingmaker's Daughter'' (2012). In 2013, Helen Brown of '' The Telegraph'' wrote that "Gregory has made an impressive career out of breathing passionate, independent life into the historical noblewomen whose personalities had previously lain flat on family trees, remembered only as diplomatic currency and brood mares." She added, "Gregory’s historical fiction has always been entertainingly speculative (those tempted to sneer should note that she’s never claimed otherwise) and comes with lashings of romantic licence." In 2011 she contributed a short story "Why Holly Berries are as Red as Roses" to an anthology supporting

the Woodland Trust The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the United Kingdom and is concerned with the creation, protection, and restoration of native woodland heritage. It has planted over 50 million trees since 1972. The Woodland Tr ...

. The anthology, ''Why Willows Weep'' has so far helped The Woodland Trust plant approximately 50,000 trees. Gregory was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the

2021 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2021 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded ...

for services to literature and to charity in the UK and the Gambia.

Criticism

Gregory has said that her "commitment to historical accuracy" is a hallmark of her writing. This is disputed by historians. Historian David Starkey, appearing alongside Gregory in a documentary about Anne Boleyn, described her work as "good

Mills and Boon Mills & Boon is a romance imprint of British publisher Harlequin UK Ltd. It was founded in 1908 by Gerald Rusgrove Mills and Charles Boon as a general publisher. The company moved towards escapist fiction for women in the 1930s. In 1971, the ...

", adding that: "We really should stop taking historical novelists seriously as historians. The idea that they have authority is ludicrous."

Susan Bordo Susan is a feminine given name, from Persian "Susan" (lily flower), from Egyptian ''c:Lotus flower (hieroglyph), sšn'' and Coptic ''shoshen'' meaning "lotus flower", from Hebrew ''Shoshana'' meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "ros ...

criticised Gregory's claims to historical accuracy as "self-deceptive and self-promoting chutzpah", and notes that it is not so much the many inaccuracies in her work as "Gregory's insistence on her meticulous adherence to history that most aggravates the scholars." In her novel ''

'', her portrayal of Henry VIII's second wife Anne Boleyn drew criticism.RO The novel depicts Anne as cold and ruthless, as well as strongly implying that the accusations that she committed adultery and incest with her brother were true, despite it being widely accepted that she was innocent of the charges. Novelist Robin Maxwell refused on principle to write a blurb for this book, describing its characterisation of Anne as "vicious, unsupportable".

Media

She is a frequent contributor to magazines and newspapers, with short stories, features and reviews. She is also a frequent broadcaster and a regular contestant on '' Round Britain Quiz'' for BBC Radio 4 and the Tudor expert for Channel 4's '' Time Team''. She won the 29 December 2008 edition of ''

Celebrity Mastermind ''Celebrity Mastermind'' is a celebrity version of ''Mastermind'', a British television quiz show broadcast by BBC television. It began in 2002 as a one-off special, expanding to the current arrangement of 10 episodes, broadcast during December a ...

'' on BBC1, taking Elizabeth Woodville as her specialist subject.

Philanthropy

Gregory runs a small charity building wells in school gardens in The Gambia. Gardens for The Gambia was established in 1993 when Gregory was in The Gambia, researching for her book ''A Respectable Trade''. Since then the charity has dug almost 200 low technology, low budget and therefore easily maintained wells, which are on-stream and providing water to irrigate school and community gardens to provide meals for the poorest children and harvest a cash crop to buy school equipment, seeds and tools. In addition to wells, the charity has piloted a successful bee-keeping scheme, funded feeding programmes and educational workshops in batik and pottery and is working with larger donors to install mechanical boreholes in some remote areas of the country where the water table is not accessible by digging alone. Philippa Gregory is a patron of The UK Chagos Support Association, which supports the

Chagos islanders The Chagossians (also Îlois or Chagos Islanders) are a currently exiled Creole ethnic group native to the Chagos Islands, specifically Diego Garcia, Peros Banhos, and the Salomon island chain, as well as other parts of the Chagos Archipelago, ...

in their legal disputes with the British government. The people of Chagos were relocated by the British government when the archipelago in the Indian Ocean was cleared in the 1960s and 1970s to make way for an important U.S. airbase. Gregory often speaks about the Chagossians' situation and lobbies the government to take action.

Personal life

Gregory wrote her first novel ''Wideacre'' while completing her doctorate and lived during that time in a cottage on the Pennine Way with her first husband Peter Chislett, editor of the '' Hartlepool Mail'', and their baby daughter, Victoria. They divorced before the book was published. Following the success of ''Wideacre'' and the publication of ''The Favoured Child'', she moved south to near Midhurst, West Sussex, where the ''Wideacre'' trilogy was set. Here Gregory married Paul Carter, her second husband, with whom she has a son, named Adam. She divorced for a second time. After the break-up of her second marriage, she met and married Anthony Mason, whom she had first met during her time in

Hartlepool Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County ...

. Gregory now lives on a farm in the North York Moors National Park, with her husband, children and stepchildren (six in all). Her interests include riding, walking, skiing, and gardening.

Works

Novels

;The ''Wideacre'' trilogy: # ''

'' (1987) # ''The Favoured Child'' (1989) # ''

Meridon ''Wideacre'' is a 1987 historical novel by Philippa Gregory. This novel is Gregory's debut, and the first in the ''Wideacre'' trilogy that includes ''The Favoured Child'' (1989) and ''Meridon'' (1990). Set in the second half of the 18th cent ...

'' (1990) ;''Tradescant'' series: # ''Earthly Joys'' (1998) # ''Virgin Earth'' (1999) ;''The Plantagenet and Tudor novels'': Previously separated as the ''Tudor Court'' and ''Cousins' War'' series, as of August 2016 Gregory lists these novels as one series, ''The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels''. # ''

'' (2001) # '' The Queen's Fool'' (2003) # ''

'' (2004) # ''

'' (2005) # '' The Boleyn Inheritance'' (2006) # ''

'' (2008) # '' The White Queen '' (2009) # '' The Red Queen'' (2010) # ''

'' (2011) # ''

'' (2012) # '' The White Princess'' (2013) # ''

The King's Curse ''The King's Curse'' is a 2014 historical novel by Philippa Gregory, part of her series ''The Cousins' War''. A direct sequel to '' The White Princess'', it follows the adult life of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, the daughter of George Pl ...

'' (2014) # ''

The Taming of the Queen ''The Taming of the Queen'' is a historical novel by British author Philippa Gregory, published on 13 August 2015. It tells the story of Kateryn Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII of England. Plot Henry VIII of England chooses Kateryn Parr, ...

'' (2015) # ''

Three Sisters, Three Queens ''Three Sisters, Three Queens'' is a historical novel by British author Philippa Gregory, published on 9 August 2016. It tells the stories of Margaret Tudor Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was Queen of Scotland from ...

'' (2016) # ''

'' (2017) Gregory has suggested a "reading order" for the series, based on the real-world chronology of historical figures and events. # ''The Lady of the Rivers'' ( Jacquetta of Luxembourg) # ''The White Queen'' (

) # ''The Red Queen'' ( Margaret Beaufort) # ''The Kingmaker's Daughter'' ( Anne Neville; featuring her sister Isabel) # ''The White Princess'' ( Elizabeth of York) # ''The Constant Princess'' ( Katherine of Aragon) # ''The King's Curse'' (

Margaret Pole Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of Salisbury (14 August 1473 – 27 May 1541), also called Margaret Pole, as a result of her marriage to Sir Richard Pole, was the only surviving daughter of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, a brother ...

) # ''Three Sisters, Three Queens'' ( Margaret Tudor, featuring Mary Tudor and Katherine of Aragon) # ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' ( Mary and Anne Boleyn) # ''The Boleyn Inheritance'' ( Jane Boleyn, Anne of Cleves and

Katherine Howard Catherine Howard ( – 13 February 1542), also spelled Katheryn Howard, was Queen of England from 1540 until 1542 as the fifth wife of Henry VIII. She was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper, a cousin to Anne Boleyn (the se ...

) # ''The Taming of the Queen'' (

Kateryn Parr Catherine Parr (sometimes alternatively spelled Katherine, Katheryn, Kateryn, or Katharine; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until ...

) # ''The Queen's Fool'' (A young Jewish girl's story of her service in the courts of Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I) # ''The Last Tudor'' (

Jane Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...

, Katherine and Mary Grey) # ''The Virgin's Lover'' ( Elizabeth I,

Robert Dudley Robert Dudley is the name of: Surname * Robert Dudley (actor) (1869–1955), American dentist and film character actor *Robert Dudley (explorer) (1574–1649), illegitimate son of the 1st Earl of Leicester *Robert Charles Dudley (1826–1909) wate ...

and

Amy Robsart Amy, Lady Dudley ( née Robsart; 7 June 1532 – 8 September 1560) was the first wife of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, favourite of Elizabeth I of England. She is primarily known for her death by falling down a flight of stairs, th ...

) # ''The Other Queen'' ( Mary, Queen of Scots, George Talbot and Bess of Hardwick) ;''The Order of Darkness'' series: # ''Changeling'' (2012) # ''Stormbringers'' (2013) # ''Fools' Gold'' (2014) # ''Dark Tracks'' (2018) ;''Fairmile'' series: # ''Tidelands'' (2019) # ''Dark Tides'' (2020) # Dawnlands (2022) ;Stand-alones: * ''Mrs. Hartley and the Growth Centre'', or ''Alice Hartley's Happiness'' (1992) * ''The Wise Woman'' (1992) *: A young girl forced out of her nunnery and into the real world during the reformation during Anne Boleyn's time of being queen. * ''Fallen Skies'' (1994) * '' A Respectable Trade'' (1995) * ''Perfectly Correct'' (1996) * '' The Little House'' (1998) * ''Zelda's Cut'' (2000)

Short stories

Collections: * ''Bread and Chocolate'' (2000)

Children's books

''Princess Florizella'' series (picture books): # ''Princess Florizella'' (1988) # ''Florizella and the Wolves'' (1991) # ''Florizella and the Giant'' (1992) Stand-alones: * ''Diggory and the Boa Conductor'' (1996), picture book * ''The Little Pet Dragon'' (1997), picture book * ''A Pirate Story'' (1999), picture book

Non-fiction

* '' The Women of the Cousins' War: The Duchess, the Queen and the King's Mother'' (2011), with David Baldwin and Michael Jones, history

Adaptations

* ''A Respectable Trade'' (1998), drama directed by

Suri Krishnamma Suri Krishnamma (born 10 May 1961) is a British film director and writer best known for feature films ''A Man of No Importance (film), A Man of No Importance'', ''New Year's Day (2001 film), New Year's Day'' and ''Dark Tourist'' and television ...

, based on novel '' A Respectable Trade'' * ''

'' (2003), telefilm directed by

Philippa Lowthorpe Philippa Lowthorpe (born 27 December 1961) is an English film and television director. She was awarded the Deluxe Director Award at the WFTV Film and Television Awards for the miniseries '' Three Girls''. She recently directed episodes of the ...

, based on novel ''

'' * ''

'' (2008), film directed by Justin Chadwick, based on novel ''

'' * ''The Little House'' (2010), miniseries directed by Jamie Payne, based on novel '' The Little House'' * '' The White Queen'' (2013), drama directed by Colin Teague, James Kent and Jamie Payne, based on novels '' The White Queen'', '' The Red Queen'' and ''

'' * '' The White Princess'' (2017), miniseries directed by Jamie Payne and

Alex Kalymnios Alex Kalymnios is an English director, producer and screenwriter. Early life During school Kalymnios wanted to become an actress. When she directed her first school play, she decided that she wanted to become a director. In 2002 she graduated f ...

, based on novel '' The White Princess'' * '' The Spanish Princess'' (2019-2020), series directed by Birgitte Stærmose, Daina Reid, Lisa Clarke,

Stephen Woolfenden Stephen Woolfenden is a British television director. He previously worked as a second unit director for the ''Harry Potter'' films. He has directed other TV shows and recently the ''Doctor Who'' episode "Nightmare in Silver". He has more recen ...

, Chanya Button and Rebecca Gatward, based on novels ''

'' and ''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gregory, Philippa 1954 births Living people Academics of Teesside University Academics of Durham University Academics of the Open University Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Sussex English historical novelists English women novelists People educated at Montpelier High School, Bristol Writers from Bristol Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period Writers of historical romances RoNA Award winners British republicans 20th-century English novelists 21st-century British novelists 20th-century English women writers 21st-century English women writers Women romantic fiction writers Women historical novelists Commanders of the Order of the British Empire