I should like to express my gratitude to the kind, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic people who have supported me in the writing of this book. To Sarah Gristwood, for hours of discussion about Elizabeth of York, and for giving so generously of her time to read the typescript, correct errors, and make suggestions; to her and to Josephine Wilkinson for their views on the vexatious matter of the Buck letter; to Nicola Tallis, for sending me academic papers on Elizabeth; to Professor Anthony Goodman, for advice on precontracts in the fifteenth century; to Ian Coulson, for sending me his research on the Paradise State Bed; to Jennifer Scott, Curator of Paintings at the Royal Collection, for information on portraits of Elizabeth owned by Her Majesty the Queen, and for engaging in many enjoyable email exchanges on the subject.
I should like to thank Will Sulkin, my publisher at Jonathan Cape for so many years, for commissioning this book, and indeed for all his wonderful support and friendship during those years. Special thanks are due also to my new publisher, Dan Franklin, for his prompt and professional assistance and expertise; to Clare Bullock, for her work on the illustrations and for administrative support; to Frances Jessop, for her creative input; to Neil Bradford, for excellent design and production; and to Clara Womersley, for her enthusiasm and ever-supportive help, way beyond the call of duty! Thanks also to Jane Selley and Mary Chamberlain for work on the manuscript.
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my editorial director, Anthony Whittome, not only for his creative guidance but also for his original and convincing theory about Elizabeth of York and the Buck letter.
I should add that the conclusions I have reached in this book—and any errors—are my own. Having researched firstly from primary sources, I had formulated my own conclusions on many aspects of Elizabeth’s story before I came to read the secondary sources and found that some historians had evolved similar theories. Those whose views and insights have had a bearing on my work have been credited in the notes.