LETTER : Real Anne

I WAS disappointed to read time-worn myths about Anne of Cleves on the anniversary of her death (The List, 16 July).

Her father, John, Duke of Cleves, was not a Protestant prince. He was a Catholic all his life. Her brother William (not her brother-in-law) suggested that Holbein should paint her portrait. There are various portraits of her, all showing similar features, which suggests that Holbein's painting was realistic, not a "flattering result". She died in the reign of Queen Mary (not Elizabeth), who provided a magnificent funeral for her, but much of it was at Anne's expense. Anne has had "a bad press", and it is time to redress the balance.

Mary Saaler

(Anne of Cleves' biographer) Caterham, Surrey