A new book about the unacknowledged daughter of King Henry VIII is now in production.

Katherine Knolllys was Mary Boleyn's first child, born in 1524, when she was having an affair with King Henry VIII. It has previously been believed that her son, Henry was her first born, but the latest evidence shows that Katherine was in fact the first. Mary Boleyn was married to William Carey at the time and both her children share his surname but it is known that Henry VIII did not allow his mistresses to sleep with any other men during his affairs. This leads us to believe that Katherine was the King's child although he never acknowledged her. This book will explain the intricacies of why that never happened from the dissolution of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon to his marriage to Katherine's aunt, Anne Boleyn. Katherine spent her life unacknowledged as the King's daughter but yet she was given prime appointments at court as maid of honour to both Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard. She married Francis Knollys when she was 16 and went on to become mother to many successful men and women at court including Lettice Knollys who created a scandal when she married Sir Robert Dudley, the Queen's favourite. Her relationship with Elizabeth, the King's acknowledged daughter by Anne Boleyn, is also intriguing. Katherine was sent to Hatfield with the Princess Elizabeth when she was nine years old and they remained close friends for all their years. Katherine's life ended as Chief Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth and she was given a state funeral paid for by the Queen herself. Although they were cousins, this book will also surmise that they were more than that - they were indeed half-sisters.

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