Joan, Lady Guildford

Joan Vaux, later Lady Guildford, was a Tudor courtier who served Elizabeth of York and became governess to the royal daughters Margaret and Mary Tudor. Born into a Lancastrian family, she was closely connected with Margaret Beaufort and the household of Henry VII.

Joan married Sir Richard Guildford in 1489 and remained an important female figure around the Tudor children, especially Mary. She lived into the reign of Henry VIII and was remembered at court as “Mother Guildford”, reflecting the long personal relationship created by her service as governess.

Joanna Hickson’s The Lady of the Ravens makes Joan Vaux a trusted attendant of Elizabeth of York, placing her close to the new Tudor household as Henry VII confronts pretenders and unresolved Yorkist loyalties. The Queen’s Lady continues Joan’s life as Lady Guildford, using her marriage to Sir Richard Guildford and continuing service to Elizabeth to carry the story through Prince Arthur’s death, the queen’s final pregnancy and the strains placed on the royal household by successive bereavements.