Signed for you my dear friend Priscilla~ What a beautiful day with the Women of Surrey, an outstanding international group that I am so pleased to be a member of. Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent was a wonderful presence and gave a very informative, fascinating talk about the Anjou Trilogy that she has written. She writes it as fiction but with much historical research and wisdom. She was absolutely lovely!
The event took place at Great Fosters built as a Royal Hunting Lodge in 1550 AD. It is documented that Henry VIII used the house as a hunting lodge. He sent his daughter Elizabeth here and she used the house herself as a hunting lodge. In confirmation of this, above the main porch there is an original royal crest of Queen Elizabeth I with the date 1598, which indicates that this property had serious royal connections. This is compounded with the ornate ceiling decorations, particularly in the Anne Boleyn Room, encompassing royal ensignia, Anne Boleyn’s personal crests. In The Drawing Room, (now The Tapestry Room there are devices of The Earl of Northumberland in the shape of the Percy’s silver boar, collared and chained and the crown key and scimitar would indicate connections with Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, nick-named The Wizard Earl because of his keen interest in alchemy and astrology. http://www.greatfosters.co.uk/files/7514/4805/0098/History_of_Great_Fosters.pdf
It was a beautiful day and again, many thanks to all of the American Women of Surrey and their multi-faceted, dynamic kindness! I am looking forward to the next meeting!