The Waiting Game

The Untold Story of the Women Who Served the Tudor Queens: A History

Nicola Clark

A colorful and authoritative narrative history of the often-overlooked—yet hugely influential—figures of the Tudor court: the ladies-in-waiting.

Every Tudor Queen had ladies-in-waiting. They were her confidantes and her chaperones. Only the Queen's ladies had the right to enter her most private chambers, spending hours helping her to get dressed and undressed, caring for her clothes and jewels, listening to her secrets. But they also held a unique power. A quiet word behind the scenes, an appropriately timed gift, a well-negotiated marriage alliance were all forms of political agency wielded expertly by women.

The Waiting Game explores the daily lives of ladies-in-waiting, revealing the secrets of recruitment, costume, what they ate, where (and with whom) they slept. We meet María de Salinas, who traveled to England with Catherine of Aragon when just a teenager and spied for her during the divorce from Henry VIII. Anne Boleyn's lady-in-waiting Jane Parker was instrumental in the execution of not one, but two queens. And maid-of-honor Anne Basset kept her place through the last four consorts, negotiating the conflicting loyalties of her birth family, her mistress the Queen, and even the desires of the King himself.

As Henry changed wives—and changed the very fabric of the country's structure besides—these women had to make choices about loyalty that simply didn't exist before. The Waiting Game is the first time their vital story has been told.

 Nicola Clark has a PhD in Early Modern History from Royal Holloway and is a Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Chichester. Her research focuses primarily on women's dynastic and political roles across the late medieval and early modern period. Her first book, Gender, Family, and Politics: The Howard Women, 1485-1558, was published by Oxford University Press. She has spoken about her research at events for Historic Royal Palaces, the National Archives, various schools, and academic institutions. She lives in England.

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Endorsements & Reviews

“Lively and vivid. Clark brings these ladies—traditionally the window dressing of Tudor literature—forward and casts them as the heroes of their own dramas. While Clark reminds us that ‘women’s history does not need to be exceptional to be relevant,’ her subjects are anything but ordinary.” The New York Times Book Review

“Clark takes a fresh look at the well-known history of Henry VIII by focusing on women chosen as ladies-in-waiting to each of Henry’s wives. Clark conveys the sumptuous richness of Tudor life—banquet tables groaning under platters of meats, halls hung with costly tapestries, crimson gowns of velvet and satin—and also the risks—pestilence, miscarriage, childbirth, arduous travel, and betrayal.” Kirkus Reviews

“A captivating group portrait of the ‘phalanx of pretty faces’ who served as ladies-in-waiting to the six wives of Henry VIII from 1501 to 1547.” Publishers Weekly

"Clark mines the historical record to bring to the forefront the 'phalanx of pretty faces and velvet dresses ranged behind the queen' in Tudor costume dramas in this fresh, enlightening look at Henry VIII's reign. She flips the familiar narrative to the distaff perspective, examining the experiences of the upper-class women who served Henry's queens, uncovering the considerable soft power they wielded despite restrictive legal and social norms. Clark writes with well-researched authority, delivering a lively, accessible, and richly detailed read. The Waiting Game is nevertheless a notable addition to Tudor history." Booklist

"Written in a lively, accessible style, The Waiting Game is full of insight.” Suzannah Lipscomb, The Literary Review

"Abounds with names and careers and dazzling little nuggets of court life. Clark's eye for detail, as well as her instinctive grasp of the 16th century's treacherous politics, makes The Waiting Game a refreshing tonic to costume drama cliches of the early Tudor Court." Dan Jones, The Telegraph

"A compelling read, The Waiting Game tells the story of Henry VIII's reign through the eyes of the women of his court, and gives a fresh new perspective on this most important and transformative period in English history." Elizabeth Norton, author of The Lives of Tudor Women

"A fresh, thoroughly researched, and empathetic journey through the Tudor court from the perspective of the fascinating women who served there." Gareth Russell, author of The Palace

“A meticulously researched, fresh, and evocative tale of the women who inhabited the Tudor court. Nicola Clark reveals their intrigues, desires, ambitions and machinations as never before. The Waiting Game exposes the deadly game played by the women usually relegated to the background. A stunning, vivid read."?Joanne Paul, author of The House of Dudley Joanne Paul, author of The House of Dudley