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King’s Mistress, Queen’s Servant
by Tracy Borman
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Henrietta Howard escaped a violent and financially ruinous marriage by entering the household of the future George II and Caroline of Ansbach. She became the prince’s long-term mistress while continuing to serve his wife, a position that required discretion, endurance and a careful understanding of Hanoverian court politics. Tracy Borman restores the intelligence and calculation behind a woman often reduced to her relationship with the king.
Henrietta built friendships with writers including Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift, secured property of her own and created a life beyond royal service. Her experience connects domestic abuse, female employment, literary patronage and the limited routes by which an eighteenth-century woman could achieve financial independence. The book was also published as Henrietta Howard: King’s Mistress, Queen’s Servant.
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