Anne was born on 15 June 1515 to Sir Thomas Parr and Maud Green. She was the youngest surviving child of five, having an older sister Catherine and brother William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton. In 1517, when she was two years old, her father died of the sweating sickness leaving her mother a widow at twenty-five, pregnant, and with the grave responsibility of guarding the inheritance of the Parr children.
Sometime in 1528, Maud Green secured her 13-year-old daughter, Anne, a post at Court as maid-of-honour to Queen Catherine of Aragon. Anne was then made a ward of King Henry. When Anne Boleyn was crowned queen in 1533, Anne Parr continued in the same capacity as maid-of-honour. She quickly succumbed to the spell of Queen Anne's charismatic personality and following the Queen's example, she became an ardent supporter of the New Faith. After Anne Boleyn's fall from power and subsequent execution, Anne remained at Court in the service of the new queen, Jane Seymour. Anne Parr served all of Henry VIII's queens from the mid-1530s, and is one of the few women to have been lady-in-waiting to all six. She was one of the few present at the baptism of Prince Edward on 15 October 1537 and was part of the funeral of Queen Jane Seymour.
When King Henry took as his fourth wife Anne of Cleves, Anne returned to her role as maid-of-honour, which she remained in; when queen Anne was supplanted by Katherine Howard. Following queen Catherine's arrest for adultery, Anne Parr was entrusted with the queen's jewels.
Marriage[]
In February 1538, Anne married William Herbert; it is likely that Anne met her husband at court. It is not known whether or not the marriage was a love match, but both Anne and her sister, Catherine Parr had been attracted to dashing men of action; who were slightly disreputable. Anne had three children by her husband.
The Queen's sister[]
Anne was a witness to the wedding ceremony performed at Hampton Court Palace on 12 July 1543, when King Henry married her sister Catherine.
Death[]
Anne Herbert died on 20 February 1552 aged 36 At the time of her death, she was one of the ladies of the Lady Mary, the future Queen Mary I. Anne was buried on 28 February 1552 in the Old St Paul's Cathedral next to her ancestor John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster. Her husband died on 17 March 1570 and by his wish was also buried in St Paul's. Anne's memorial there described her in Latin as a "most faithful wife, a woman of the greatest piety and discretion".
Role in the series[]
Season 4[]
Episode 4.01.
Physical appearance[]
In The Tudors, Anne Parr is portrayed as a small frame woman with long brown hair. Her eye color looking brown. She carried herself with dignity with both queens. Has a strong feeling of loyalty to her sister Catherine Parr, which she shows on a few occasions.
Looking small and not as striking, she is clearly the other Parr sister.