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The Constant Princess Audiobook
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(3.00) - 60,301 listener ratings
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A NEW UNABRIDGED RECORDING FEATURING AN AFTERWORD READ BY THE AUTHOR!
From #1 New York Times bestselling author and “queen of royal fiction” (USA TODAY) Philippa Gregory comes the remarkable story of Katherine of Aragon, Princess of Spain, daughter of two great monarchs, and eventual Queen of England when she marries the infamous King Henry VIII.
Daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, Katherine has been fated her whole life to marry Prince Arthur of England. When they meet and are married, the match becomes as passionate as it is politically expedient. The young lovers revel in each other’s company and plan the England they will make together. But tragically, aged only fifteen, Arthur falls ill and extracts from his sixteen-year-old bride a deathbed promise to marry his brother, Henry; become Queen; and fulfill their dreams and her destiny.
Widowed and alone in the avaricious world of the Tudor court, Katherine has to sidestep her father-in-law’s desire for her and convince him, and an incredulous Europe, that her marriage to Arthur was never consummated, that there is no obstacle to marriage with Henry. For seven years, she endures the treachery of spies, the humiliation of poverty, and intense loneliness and despair while she waits for the inevitable moment when she will step into the role she has prepared for all her life. Then, like her warrior mother, Katherine must take to the battlefield and save England when its old enemies the Scots come over the border and there is no one to stand against them but the new Queen.
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"I must admit that I was weary of this book after reading Gregory's, "The Other Boleyn" and "The Boleyn Inheritance". I was disgusted by the Tudor men and so OVER Henry and his abuse of his wives. This was a refreshing story of the strength and perseverance of the Spanish princess, with a twist as to her motivations and intentions. Like the future wives of Henry VIII, she has to go through a lot to get where she was and had to demure herself to the men in her life. This book also shows Katharine to be the strength in the marriage and the reason she remained the most dear queen to the people of England, even with the unfortunate marital religious choices of her husband."
— Jenny (5 out of 5 stars)
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“Gregory makes the broad sweep of history vibrant and intimate.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“Gregory’s research is impeccable, which makes her imaginative fiction all the more convincing.”
— Daily Mail (London) -
In her addictive new novel, [Gregory] turns her eye to Katherine of Aragon, a princess who became Queen of England—all by dint of a well-kept secret.”
— Marie Claire -
“Gregory’s story is as ambitious as its main character.”
— Entertainment Weekly
The Constant Princess Listener Reviews
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" Couldn't get through it so I stopped reading. It was not as interesting as the other Tudor books. "
— Aaschenbrenner, 2/19/2014 -
" Interesting to learn more about the daughter of Queen Isabella & King Ferdinand of Spain. "
— Marika, 2/15/2014 -
" The beginning started off really well.....but I guess when one of your favorite character dies, you don't feel like reading it anymore. "
— Andrea, 2/12/2014 -
" I loved this book , the possibility of there being love between Arthur and catalina was magical. Thank you for a great book "
— Aria, 2/11/2014 -
" As always this novel was great! It gave you an indept look at Katherine of Aragon. Was the lie she told all for the greater good or was she lying to save herself from a life a poverty? The Constant Princess is a wonderful tale of love, lost, intrigue, double dealing, and liars. If your interest lies in historical figures, then Philippa Gregory is just the author to quench your appetite! "
— Laura, 2/1/2014 -
" Didn't like this one as much as the others because Catalina got on my nerves but an interesting take on a much maligned and undervalued Tudor Queen. "
— Jackie, 1/31/2014 -
" I started reading the third book in what could be considered this series and decided to start at the beginning of King Henry VII's wives. I don't know how historically accurate it is, but is was so interesting reading about how Catherine of Aragon came to be the first of Henry's wives. Did you know she was always to be the Queen of England but not Henry's wife? Such a pawn! There's romance and adventure and the sad tale of what becomes of her and Henry. "
— EDian, 1/25/2014 -
" I read this on the plane to Vietnam eight years ago. "
— Samantha, 1/18/2014 -
" Of all of her books, I liked this one the best. It certainly provided a perspective on the life of a loyal and dutifull daughter, raised to be the Queen of England. The latter years of her life married to Henry VIII truly tested her mettle. I enjoyed this book very much. "
— Rosemary, 1/17/2014 -
" Listened to this in my car. Excellent. "
— Ann, 12/3/2013 -
" Parts were quite good and gave an 'alternate' historical voice to Henry VIII's first wife. Parts were, I felt, padding and verged on 'bodice-ripper'. "
— Karen, 11/24/2013 -
" Hard to not like these when historical fiction is my favorite genre. "
— Beth, 11/11/2013 -
" It was good but the whole Spanish childhood bit was a bit overdone for me. "
— Aubrey, 10/10/2013 -
" Well, that's another way of seeing Katherine of Aragon... I'm not sure I believe any of it, but I enjoyed the book overall. "
— Amy, 10/7/2013 -
" Loved it. I love Queen Katharine of Aragon and was not let down by Phillipa. "
— Raquel, 10/6/2013 -
" Probably my favourite of hers and I found it v good. "
— Pat, 2/22/2013 -
" Another brilliant read in this series - yet again well written and refreshingly original. "
— Winnie, 9/29/2012 -
" Katherine of Aragon is so interesting, but this novel dragged a little. "
— Shannon, 8/11/2012 -
" Good history, not riveting. "
— Jeff, 1/20/2012 -
" Good...I liked the story, and it was a fun read. I normally don't read Historical Fiction, but I would definitely reccomend this book to those who like romances and fictions in general. It isn't written in old-language, and overall I can't wait to read the other books in this series. "
— Kayla, 7/7/2011 -
" thanks for this book, linda! really liked it and learned a lot about the tudors. i could remember being the alhambra from her great descriptions of the scents and colors. "
— Donna, 6/2/2011 -
" Eh, not my favorite Philippa Gregory book. Not bad, but not great. Could've used a bit more fleshing out of the supporting charecters. "
— Jodi, 6/1/2011 -
" I loved this book! I'm a fan girl of Philippa Gregory and the whole time period, so this was right up my alley. "
— Devan, 5/13/2011 -
" I am a huge history buff and this is one of my favorite authors in the world! she brings history to life in her books! "
— Mandy, 5/5/2011 -
" i read everything of hers i can get my hands on this author got to me historical fiction which i had not liked before. love her "
— Sheri, 5/1/2011 -
" This is an excellent beginning to this series of books! I wish I would have read this first! "
— Leigh, 4/22/2011 -
" Meh. It dragged quite a bit and then it was over quickly. I mean, she complained about wanting to be queen for the whole book and then she's finally queen and the book's over. And Gregory totally skipped over the whole Henry wanting to divorce her part. It could have been better. "
— Kathleen, 4/22/2011 -
" I enjoyed reading about Katherine of Aragon, a strong female character, and learning a little more about the time of the Tudors. "
— Mari, 4/21/2011 -
" I actually liked this one more than The Other Bolyn Girl. But then again I like Katherine's character more, plus her story is so much better. If you are worried about inappropriate content skip page 49 last paragraph into page 50. Just pick back up at the italicized writing. "
— Leah, 4/20/2011
About Philippa Gregory
Phillipa Gregory is an internationally bestselling author of historical novels whose success extends to the United States as well, where she is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. She earned her BA from the University of Sussex and a PhD in eighteenth-century literature from Edinburgh University, where she is a regent. Gregory is the author of the Wideacre trilogy, the Earthly Joys series, and the Plantagenet and Tudor novels, which include the enormously popular Other Boleyn Girl, of which there are over a million US copies in print. She is a fellow of the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff and was awarded the 2016 Harrogate Festival Award for Contribution to Historical Fiction.
About Karina Fernandez
Karina Fernandez had her scene-stealing film debut as the Flamenco teacher in Happy-Go-Lucky. On British television she has been seen in such programs as Married Single Other, My Family, and Happy Birthday Shakespeare. Her stage appearances include performances in Max Stafford-Clark’s production of Shopping and F***king at the Royal Court, Macbeth at Bristol Old Vic Studio, and The Convict’s Opera for Max.