‘… because I cannot in person be in your presence, I send you the thing which comes nearest that is possible; that is to say, my picture, and the whole device, which you already know of, set in bracelets, wishing myself in their place when it pleaseth you.’

Henry VIII in a letter to Anne Boleyn, 1528

This selection of intimate letters of England’s kings is sure to intrigue anyone with an interest in the personal lives of some of England’s most powerful men. It begins with Henry VII (1457– 1509) and ends with William IV (1765–1837), and provides the reader with an illuminating insight into their lives.

From Henry VIII’s declaration of love to Anne Boleyn to James II’s sarcastic letter to his perfidious son-in-law, William of Orange, these letters show the people behind the crown, allowing history to assume a remarkably human face.

• The latest tile in Amberley’s

  Royalty series

• The

  intimate side of British history has experienced a boost in popularity

  recently, examples including Lucy Worsley’s popular BBC series Tales from

  the Royal Bedchamber, Anna Whitelock’s book Elizabeth’s Bedfellows, 

  Amy Licence’s In Bed with the Tudors and Hilary

  Mantel's Man Booker Prize winning novel Wolf Hall, soon to be a BBC drama.

• Hampton Court

  Palace held an exhibition called Secrets of the Royal Bedchamber in 2013.

• Reviews in the

  paperback sections of the national press to include The Times and the Guardian.