Henrietta Anne Stuart

Born at Exeter during the English Civil War, Henrietta Anne was taken to France as an infant and raised at the court of her cousin Louis XIV. In 1661 she married Philippe, Duke of Orléans, the king's brother. Her position connected the restored Stuart monarchy with the French royal court, although her marriage was marked by personal and political tension.

Henrietta played an important role in negotiating the 1670 Treaty of Dover between Charles II and Louis XIV. She died suddenly at Saint-Cloud later that month, prompting rumours of poisoning, although contemporary medical evidence pointed to natural causes. In historical fiction she is often presented as Charles II's beloved sister and a gifted intermediary between England and France.

In Andrew Taylor’s The Royal Secret, Cat Hakesby receives a royal commission to design a poultry house for Charles II’s beloved sister, Henrietta Anne Stuart, and carries the project to the French court.

In non-fiction, Henrietta Anne Stuart is discussed in Linda Porter’s Royal Renegades. Linda Porter’s Royal Renegades approaches the subject through court politics and dynastic power, family, marriage and personal loyalty, and political ambition and government.