New research by Tudor historian Owen Emmerson suggests that the most famous portrait of Anne Boleyn, displayed at London’s National Portrait Gallery, actually depicts her daughter Queen Elizabeth I. Emmerson argues the late-16th-century painting was deliberately made to resemble Elizabeth I, reinforcing a legitimate Tudor succession. The theory is supported by comparisons with another portrait of Elizabeth at Compton Verney and by Lawrence Hendra of Philip Mould gallery. An upcoming exhibition at Hever Castle, "Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn," will present this and other evidence, alongside newly identified contemporaneous images of Boleyn, including a miniature from the British Museum and a drawing by Hans Holbein the Younger.
This matters because it challenges the long-held belief that Henry VIII systematically destroyed all portraits of Anne Boleyn after her execution, leaving her true appearance unknown. The research reshapes both historical understanding and popular culture, where Boleyn has been portrayed by brunette actresses despite evidence she may have had lighter hair. The exhibition marks 500 years since Henry VIII’s courtship of Boleyn and invites visitors to vote on which painting best represents her, engaging the public in an ongoing historical debate.