Three Sisters, Three Queens

Three Sisters, Three Queens (2016), a novel by Philippa Gregory, tells the story of three queens who clash with each other in the dangerous Tudor court. It is the eighth book in Gregory’s The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels series. It was nominated for the 2016 Goodreads Choice Award for Historical Fiction. Gregory is a well-established author and historian with an interest in the Tudor period. One of her best-known novels, The Other Boleyn Girl, became a major film. Gregory is known for her attention to detail and gripping plots.

The three queens in the novel are Margaret Tudor, Mary Tudor, Queen of France, and Katherine of Aragon. They become the queens of Scotland, France, and England respectively. At the outset, they’re close friends, but their thrones change their relationships with each other; this conflict drives the plot. The story is told from Margaret’s point of view.

Before Katherine of Aragon arrives in England, Margaret is still there with her family. Margaret is Prince Arthur’s sister, and soon to be Katherine’s sister-in-law. She likes what she’s heard about the new princess, and she’s keen to make friends, but she worries Katherine will dominate her politically. Margaret worries that, instead of becoming allies, they will become enemies, which may jeopardize her status at court.



Mary is Margaret’s sister, and they have a very good relationship. They embrace their status and relish court life. Together, they greet Katherine, welcoming her as best they can. However, when Arthur dies, and King Henry VII hesitates over what to do with Katherine, they keep their distance until Katherine is betrothed to Prince Henry. The prince is soon to become Henry VIII.

Mary marries well and is welcomed into the French court. She becomes the Queen of France. Margaret is married to James IV, the King of Scotland, a difficult and turbulent country to rule over. Katherine makes matters harder for Margaret by exercising her political superiority time and time again. However, they attempt to build a friendship, because their husbands are often absent and few understand the difficulties of being a queen. They rarely meet each other, but they exchange letters frequently.

It becomes obvious to Katherine that Margaret’s husband is kind, warm, and sophisticated, leading her to resent her own husband. Henry VIII is unpredictable, temperamental, and easy to anger; no one feels comfortable in the Tudor court. She envies Margaret’s comparably easy life, even if there’s nothing easy about trying to unite a Scotland divided by clan warfare and political views.



Meanwhile, Mary tries to make her presence felt in Europe. She wants to be one of the most powerful queens, and she wants European royalty to notice and respect her. She’s yet another possible threat for both Katherine and Margaret to contend with, particularly since there’s always a threat of war with France. Essentially, the three queens play at being sisters when it will give them a political advantage, but it’s clear that their friendship is feigned when the tide turns.

Eventually, Henry VIII and James IV of Scotland clash too many times and they end up at war. Katherine and Margaret must decide how they’ll react; they must choose which side they’ll be loyal to. It’s especially difficult for Margaret since Henry is her brother, but this doesn’t mean much in royal politics at the time.

Katherine commands her own army, which marches against Scotland. The English kill James,  destroying her friendship with Margaret forever. Meanwhile, Katherine loses her son, the heir to the English throne; Margaret’s son becomes the new heir. This may have grave consequences for Katherine in the long term. Instead of uniting the lands, this may make tensions worse than ever.



At the same time, Margaret must look for a new husband. Mary becomes a widow and remarries in secret because she doesn’t want a political union—she wants love. Katherine and Margaret envy her freedom to make this choice. Although the women fight, plot against each other, and never know what will happen next, they are constant in each other’s lives, forming a bond that runs deeper than any marriage.

Both Margaret and Mary can only watch at the unexpected and sharp rise of Anne Boleyn; Katherine’s position becomes uncertain. As women, and fellow queens, Margaret and Mary sympathize with Katherine’s predicament, and its outcome, which seems impossible but also inevitable. At the end of the book, Margaret can’t help feeling she’s done better than the other two queens.

The book is open-ended, undoubtedly to allow for another book in the series. Three Sisters, Three Queens ends with all three women agreeing they must stick together no matter what, putting their rivalries behind them in this changing political landscape where no one is safe.