Secrets of the Tudor Court Boxed Set

Questions for Discussion

Under whose rule did Bess and Will’s love for each other flourish most? Consider Henry and Kathryn, King Edward, Queen Mary, and Elizabeth Tudor.

Would Bess have had a happier, easier life if she had married Harry or Jack?

As indicated in the author’s note, all but a few characters in By Royal Decree were actual historical figures. Which ones did you find most appealing? Which came to life off the page?

Were you surprised at Bess’s arrow shot during Thomas Wyatt’s siege on Cobham Castle?

Considering the time, was it right for Bess to marry Will, even with Anne Bourchier entitled to the Parr estate? Do you ever feel sympathetic to Anne? And should true love prevail over royal decree?

Discuss the various uprisings and religious controversies that occur over the course of the story. When was the threat of imprisonment/execution most palpable? Were you surprised at how quickly some courtiers changed their religious affiliations? (Consider especially Northumberland and Parr’s conversion to Catholicism while imprisoned.) Would you switch your beliefs under duress? How tightly should one grasp to what she thinks is right?

What did you make of Tom Seymour’s character? Was he nothing more than a lecher? How did you react to his ill-advised breaking and entering at King Edward’s palace?

Bess’s desire for a child remains unfulfilled by the story’s end. Should she and Will have fostered Mary Seymour? Do you think Bess is being honest with herself when she says that Will’s love is all she needs?

Which gentlewoman (besides Bess, of course) did you enjoy most? Can you trace the progress of her initial court mates through the story?