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'' (2001), which in 2002 won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award 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 Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

, at that time serving as capital city of the Colony and Protectorate of Kenya (modern-day Republic of Kenya), the second daughter of Elaine (Wedd) and Arthur Percy Gregory, a radio operator and navigator for East African Airways. When she was two years old, her family moved to

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, UK.Philippa Gregory walk at BBC Bristol
Retrieved 6 June 2013. She was a "rebel" at Colston's Girls' SchoolPhilippa 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. She then went to journalism college in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

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 The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

, where she switched to a history course. In 1982, she received a B.A. degree in history from Sussex University.Philippa Gregory, interview
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

Education''. Retrieved 6 June 2013. She worked for

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

radio for two years before attending the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, 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, the University of Teesside, and the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...

, 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 In England and Wales, the Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603, including the Elizabethan era during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603). The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England, which began with ...

and the 16th century. Reading a number of novels set in the 17th century led her to write the best-selling Lacey trilogy '' Wideacre'', 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

, was adapted by Gregory for a four-part drama series for BBC television. Gregory's script was nominated for a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

, 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 The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

: ''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 '' The Other Boleyn Girl,'' 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 and it has subsequently spawned sequels – '' The Queen's Fool,'' '' The Virgin's Lover,'' '' The Constant Princess,'' '' The Boleyn Inheritance,'' and '' The Other Queen''.

Miramax Miramax, LLC, formerly known as Miramax Films, is an American independent film and television production and distribution company owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Global. Based in Los Angeles, California, it was founded on December 19, ...

bought the film rights to ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' and released a film of the same name in February 2008 starring Eric Bana, Natalie Portman and

Scarlett Johansson Scarlett Ingrid Johansson (; born November 22, 1984) is an American actress and singer. The List of highest-paid film actors, world's highest-paid actress in 2018 and 2019, she has been featured multiple times on the Forbes Celebrity 100, ''F ...

. Gregory has also published a series of books about the Plantagenets, the ruling houses that preceded the Tudors, and the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...

. Her first book '' The White Queen'', published in 2009, centres on the life of Elizabeth Woodville, 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 known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

. ''

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

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

, and '' The White Princess'' (2013) centres on the life of Elizabeth of York, wife of Henry VII and the mother of Henry VIII. '' The Last Tudor'' is a novel about Jane Grey and her sisters Katherine and Mary. The 2013

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

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). Philippa Gregory at the 2024 Edinburgh International Book Festival

Philippa Gregory at the 2024 Edinburgh International Book Festival

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 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 The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to literature and to charity in the UK and the Gambia. In 2024, Gregory's play on Richard III, ''Richard, My Richard'', was performed at Shakespeare North Playhouse and Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds.

Criticism

Gregory has said that her "commitment to historical accuracy" is a hallmark of her writing. This is disputed by historians. Historian

David Starkey Dr. David Robert Starkey (born 3 January 1945) is a British historian, radio and television presenter, with views that he describes as conservative. The only child of Quaker parents, he attended Kirkbie Kendal School, Kendal Grammar School b ...

, appearing alongside Gregory in a documentary about

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the Wives of Henry VIII, second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and execution, by beheading ...

, described her work as "good Mills and Boon", adding that: "We really should stop taking historical novelists seriously as historians. The idea that they have authority is ludicrous." Susan Bordo 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 '' The Other Boleyn Girl'', her portrayal of Henry VIII's second wife

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".

Philanthropy

Gregory runs a small charity building wells in school gardens in

The Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

. 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 in their legal disputes with the British government.

Personal life

Gregory wrote her first novel ''Wideacre'' while completing her doctorate and lived during that time in a cottage on the

Pennine Way The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England, with a small section in Scotland. The trail stretches for from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland National Park and ends at Kir ...

with her first husband Peter Chislett, editor of the '' Hartlepool Mail'', and their baby daughter. They divorced before the book was published.

Works

Novels

;The ''Wideacre'' trilogy: # '' Wideacre'' (1987) # ''The Favoured Child'' (1989) # '' Meridon'' (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''. # '' The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2001) # '' The Queen's Fool'' (2003) # '' The Virgin's Lover'' (2004) # '' The Constant Princess'' (2005) # '' The Boleyn Inheritance'' (2006) # '' The Other Queen'' (2008) # '' The White Queen '' (2009) # '' The Red Queen'' (2010) # ''

'' (2011) # '' The Kingmaker's Daughter'' (2012) # '' The White Princess'' (2013) # '' The King's Curse'' (2014) # '' The Taming of the Queen'' (2015) # '' Three Sisters, Three Queens'' (2016) # '' The Last Tudor'' (2017) # The Boleyn Traitor (2025) 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'' ( Elizabeth Woodville) # ''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) # ''Three Sisters, Three Queens'' (

Margaret Tudor Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and fought to exte ...

, featuring Mary Tudor and Katherine of Aragon) # ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' ( Mary and

) # ''The Boleyn Inheritance'' ( Jane Boleyn,

Anne of Cleves Anne of Cleves (; 28 June or 22 September 1515 – 16 July 1557) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 6 January to 12 July 1540 as the Wives of Henry VIII, fourth wife of Henry VIII. Little is known about Anne before 1527, ...

and Katherine Howard) # The Boleyn Traitor ( Jane Boleyn) # ''The Taming of the Queen'' ( Kateryn Parr) # ''The Queen's Fool'' (A young Jewish girl's story of her service in the courts of

Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...

, Mary I and

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

) # ''The Last Tudor'' ( Jane,

Katherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

and Mary Grey) # ''The Virgin's Lover'' (

, Robert Dudley and Amy Robsart) # ''The Other Queen'' (

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

, 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

Plays

* ''Richard, My Richard'' (2024)

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 * "Early Women Writers" in ''The Women Writers Handbook''. Aurora Metro Books. 2020.

ISBN The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase or receive ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency. A different ISBN is assigned to e ...

971912430338 *

Adaptations

* ''A Respectable Trade'' (1998), drama directed by Suri Krishnamma, based on novel '' A Respectable Trade'' * '' The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2003), telefilm directed by Philippa Lowthorpe, based on novel '' The Other Boleyn Girl'' * '' The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2008), film directed by Justin Chadwick, based on novel '' The Other Boleyn Girl'' * ''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 Kingmaker's Daughter'' * '' The White Princess'' (2017), miniseries directed by Jamie Payne and Alex Kalymnios, based on novel '' The White Princess'' * '' The Spanish Princess'' (2019–2020), series directed by Birgitte Stærmose, Daina Reid, Lisa Clarke, Stephen Woolfenden, Chanya Button and Rebecca Gatward, based on novels '' The Constant Princess'' and '' The King's Curse''

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 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 English republicans 20th-century English novelists 21st-century English novelists 20th-century English women writers 21st-century English women writers British women romantic fiction writers English women historical novelists Commanders of the Order of the British Empire