Loving Mom or Distant Lady Mother: The Bond Between Anne and Elizabeth

It has long been discussed by Tudor historians what the relationship would have been like between Anne and her daughter Elizabeth. Due to practices instituted by Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Derby and paternal grandmother to Henry VIII, royal children where not raised at court. Justifiable fears of sickness (crowd disease was rampant due to lack of adequate latrines and cleaning practices) and a courtly lack of morals kept the heirs of Henry sequestered in great country houses. At these manors, the children were raised by teams of servants whose duties ranged from wetnurses and cradle rockers to academic tutors and dance instructors.
Because of this imposed practice, Elizabeth spent her first three years at Hatfield House, a country estate about twenty miles north of London. Anne would have seen Elizabeth only on great occassions when children were welcome at court such as Christmas and when the royal couple was on Summer Progress. Some writers have suggested that the situation equates to a lack of concern for the child on the part of Anne. We know, however, that Anne was raised in a similar situation, with her parents constantly away at court while she was grew up with her siblings at Hever, so this distance would not only have been required but would have seemed quite normal to the Queen. When I explored this claim, I found many signs that Anne was indeed a loving mother despite that physical distance between her and her daughter. Anne's account books showed that despite a healthy budget provided by the King to purchase clothing for Elizabeth, Anne often sent ribbons and lace to adorn the child's clothing that she personally chose.There is also a receipt for "several lengths" of orange silk (a rare and expensive color)  embroidered with Anne's royal badge in gold thread. Anne sent the cloth to Elizabeth for it to be sewn into a new dress. While hunting, Anne often sent choice cuts of venison and other animals to Hatfield and hand-picked several of the servants who made up Elizabeth's household including Kat Ashley (who would become Elizabeth's lifelong friend and confidante), the Ladies Bryan  and Shelton amongst others. Anne even chose to often sit in on the betrothal discussions for Elizabeth, an action unheard of in this time period.

All of these actions constitute what I would interpret as a great interest in her daughter's life and a healthy level of affection for her given the social constraints of Tudor England. I would surmise that Anne loved Elizabeth and went above and  beyond the normal motherly duties of this time period to express that love. For anyone to assume/express that Anne did not care for Elizabeth would expose their inherrent lack of knowledge and understanding of the social context and practices of Henry the Eighth's court.

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