At 12 years old, Kate Carey attends her aunt, Queen Anne Boleyn, to the scaffold. Horrified by what she witnesses, Kate is convinced that King Henry VIII has sent an innocent woman to a terrible death.
As the Boleyns fall from favour, Kate serves her now motherless cousin, the young Lady Elizabeth.
Bound by Boleyn blood, the two girls are like sisters, until Kate marries for love — and leaves a jealous Elizabeth behind.
At court, Kate cannot ignore the sly looks thrown her way, nor the whispers behind her back.
Only when her mother, Mary, lies dying, does she learn the life-shattering truth that the Boleyns have been hiding for years.
It is a secret that will haunt Kate throughout her life, as her family flee into exile, only returning home when Elizabeth becomes queen. But the bond between the Boleyn cousins will never be the same again.
The Boleyn Secret by Alison Weir is published on 21 May, 2026.
If you enjoy historical fiction, have a look at Historia’s list of nearly 150 books coming out in 2026.
