How many of you have heard of the Tudor Heart Jewel?
17th July 2026 by | Uncategorized
How many of you have heard of the Tudor Heart Jewel?
This week I’ve spent a great deal of time visiting and speaking with bookshops about stocking my Tudor novels. Naturally, our conversations turned to my third novel, The Queen’s Heart: Always, which follows the extraordinary journey of the Tudor Heart Jewel—now on permanent display at the British Museum after being acquired for £3.2 million following a national fundraising campaign.
What genuinely surprised me was this…
Not one person I spoke to had ever heard of the jewel.
That really made me stop and think. Despite being one of the most significant Tudor discoveries of recent years, it still seems to be a hidden treasure.
So I’d love to ask all of you…
Had you heard of the Tudor Heart Jewel before today? Yes or No
Last week one of my focus group readers finished the complete manuscript of the new novel. She told me it made her smile, it made her cry, and she could not put it down.
Then she asked me a question that made me smile.
‘Gemma… is the jewel actually real?’
The answer is yes.
The Tudor Heart Jewel is a genuine 16th-century treasure, discovered in a Warwickshire field in 2019 and now safely housed in the British Museum. It bears the entwined symbols of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon and offers a remarkable glimpse into one of the most fascinating royal relationships in English history.
Sometimes history really is more extraordinary than fiction.
So tell me… had you heard of the Tudor Heart Jewel before reading this post? Or is this your first introduction to one of Tudor England’s greatest surviving treasures?
Gemma Morris-Conway
Author
The Reflection in the Mirror : 21 5 star reviews
The Wolf of Whitehall
To be published next month : orders accepted Now !
The Queens Heart: Always
Member of the Norfolk Archaeological Trust
www.murderinthetower.london
Love history ? Please take the time to sign my petition for the DNA testing for what we understand to be the two York princes: see my website