Spotlight: Anne Neville

Name: Anne Neville / Anne Plantagenet

Title/s: Duchess of Gloucester / Princess of Wales / Queen of England

Birth / Death: 11 June 1456 – 16 March 1485

Spouse: Edward, Prince of Wales m. 13 December 1470 / King Richard III 1452-1485 m. 12 July 1472

Children: Edward 1476-1484

Parents: Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick 1428-1471 & Anne Beauchamp 1426-1492

Siblings: Isabel 1451-1476

Notable Achievements: Anne Neville was a pawn of her father, the Kingmaker, and was married to the Lancastrian Prince Edward of Wales, and then to the Yorkist brother of King Edward IV, the future Richard III. She gave birth to a son who died in childhood.

Events of their Lifetime: The Wars of the Roses. The key battles of Towton, Edgecote Moor, Barnet and Tewkesbury took place during Anne’s lifetime. The triumph of Edward IV over Henry VI, and the triumph of Richard III over Edward V.

Controversy: There was controversy over Anne’s allegiance to the Yorkist cause, and over her two marriages to men on opposing sides. Did she really love Edward, Prince of Wales, or even Richard III? How far was she really a pawn in her father’s games?

Works of Fiction:
Gregory, Philippa, The Kingmaker’s Daughter (2012)
Malvern, Gladys, The Queen’s Lady (1963)
O’Brien, Anne, Virgin Widow (2010)
Penman, Sharon, The Sunne in Splendour (1982)
Plaidy, Jean, The Reluctant Queen (1990)
Worth, Sandra, Crown of Destiny (2006)
Worth, Sandra, Fall From Grace (2006)

Portrayals on Screen:
Claire Bloom, Richard III, 1955, directed by Laurence Olivier
Faye Marsay, The White Queen, 2013, 10 episodes
Winona Ryder, Looking for Richard, 1996, directed by Al Pacino
Kristin Scott Thomas, Richard III, 1995, Richard Loncraine

Further Reading:
Gristwood, Sarah, Blood Sisters: the Women Behind the Wars of the Roses (2012)
Hicks, Michael, Anne Neville: Queen to Richard III (2006)
Hilton, Lisa, Queens Consort: England’s Medieval Queens (2008)
Laynesmith, J.L., The Last Medieval Queens: English Queenship 1445-1503 (2004)
Licence, Amy, Anne Neville: Richard III’s Tragic Queen (2013)

Arms: