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Author · 2 festivals in 2026

Tracy Borman at literary festivals

Last checked: 28 October 2026

If the Tudors are the part of the programme you turn to first, Tracy Borman offers both a historian’s work and historical fiction to explore. For a reader who enjoys court politics but also wants to think about the relationships behind them, those conversations make a natural focus for a festival day.

Quick facts

Best known for
Tudor history and historical novels
Genre or subject
History, biography and historical fiction
Latest book
The House of Boleyn (2026)

About Tracy Borman

Borman writes non-fiction history and historical novels. Her publisher identifies her as Chief Historian at Historic Royal Palaces and Chief Executive of the Heritage Education Trust; she studied and taught history at Hull. Her writing ranges through biographies, the Tudor court and a wider history of the monarchy, alongside fiction set in dangerous political worlds.

The non-fiction titles include Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I, Crown & Sceptre, Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, The Private Lives of the Tudors and Thomas Cromwell. Other subjects include Matilda, witchcraft and the women around Elizabeth I. That range offers readers different scales: one relationship, the workings of a court or a longer view of royal power. You can begin with the historical question that has stayed with you.

Her fiction trilogy opens with The King’s Witch and continues with The Devil’s Slave and The Fallen Angel. The House of Boleyn, published on 23 April 2026, is the latest new work. It centres on the family at Hever Castle, following their rise towards Henry VIII’s court and the dangers surrounding the king’s pursuit of Anne. It was this novel that shaped the festival conversations here.

The Stolen Crown offers a separate non-fiction subject: the transition from Elizabeth I to James VI and I. Its later paperback is a new edition of an earlier work, not a different new history. For a festival reader, the choice between history and fiction is part of the pleasure. A novel opens imagined conversations and relationships; a historical study lets you follow an argument about the past. Both can leave you with a question to take to a talk, without having to read everything before the day.

Where to start with their books

The King's Witch

Frances Gorges is a healer drawn from Hampshire into the court of James I, where suspicion of witchcraft meets political danger. This is the opening novel of the trilogy. Try it if you want a continuing fictional character and a court setting in which knowledge and survival become closely entangled.

The Stolen Crown

This non-fiction study returns to the succession at Elizabeth I’s death and the arrival of James VI and I. Borman challenges the account of a straightforward, formally authorised transition, arguing that Elizabeth did not name an heir. It is a choice for readers who enjoy a historical question and an argument that asks them to reconsider a familiar version.

Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I

A joint biography follows the relationship and legacy connecting Anne with her daughter. Choose it if the novel has made you want a non-fiction route into the family, or if the link between the two women interests you more than a wider account of the court. It offers a focused subject to carry into a history conversation.

Elizabeth's Women

Elizabeth’s life is approached through women around her: her mother and sister, royal rivals and others whose relationships mattered to her story. This gives a different angle from beginning with the queen alone. Read it if the people around power interest you and you want to consider how their presence changes a familiar royal narrative.

Festival appearances

For tickets, use the host festival’s official box office. Confirm the date, venue and access details before paying.

2026

Tracy Borman: featured events in 2026
FestivalDateEvent and venueOfficial source
Edinburgh International Book FestivalTracy Borman: The House of Boleyn
Courtyard Theatre		Official programme
Cheltenham Literature FestivalHouse of Boleyn
The Cunard Stage, Town Hall		Official programme

What their events are like

Cheltenham’s House of Boleyn session followed on 13 October at The Cunard Stage in the Town Hall. She introduced the novel through the family, ambition and court intrigue. Readers interested in the fictional treatment of a familiar historical subject had three festival settings in which to follow that part of her writing.

Where to see them next

No 2027 appearances announced yet. Check the festival guides for programme dates.

Plan your trip

If your companion prefers fiction and you usually read history, choose one question you would both enjoy exploring: how a family’s ambition changes its prospects, or what makes a court relationship compelling. You do not have to agree on a favourite Tudor to enjoy the same event. Keep any question focused on the writing or the history, and leave room for other readers.

Find a room in Cheltenham ↗

Read more

Explore Tracy Borman’s official writing information and the publisher’s author page.

Authors you might also like

Lucy Worsley

For another historian whose festival audience can move between books and broadcast history.

Dan Jones

A further choice for readers making a trip around medieval and early modern subjects.

Hallie Rubenhold

Another historian for readers who enjoy reconsidering familiar accounts through the people involved.

Your questions about Tracy Borman

Should I start with Tracy Borman’s history or fiction?

Choose a historical study if you want to follow an argument about the past, or a novel if you want to enter an imagined story set within it. The reading suggestions offer both. A festival event about a novel need not require you to have read her wider non-fiction.

What did her 2026 festival talks focus on?

Use the festival links on Tracy Borman’s profile for the event’s own ticket and audience guidance.

Which novel begins her earlier trilogy?

The King’s Witch introduces Frances Gorges and the dangerous court of James I. It is the beginning of a separate sequence from the Boleyn-family novel. Choose it if you would like to follow a fictional character across more than one book.

Can I attend without knowing the Tudor chronology?

An interest in the subject is enough to start choosing a talk. Reading one book may deepen your enjoyment, but a leisure visit need not become an examination. Pick the event whose description appeals and use the official box office if you need help with its format.

How do I book an accessible place at a future talk?

Contact the festival about the particular venue, seat and support you need before buying. A tented site and a town-hall room have different practical details. Follow the access links in the guide for the festival you choose and confirm any companion-ticket conditions directly.

Sources