The Queen and the Mistress: the Women of Edward III by Gemma Hollman

Author:Gemma Hollman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Published: 2023-04-04T00:00:00+00:00

7 The King’s Lover

With the death of the queen consort who had been so integral to the country, the government and the royal family, there was no question of Edward or his family continuing with the planned French campaign. The royal household immediately went into mourning, and Alice would have been at court helping with the extensive preparations for the queen’s funeral – and conveniently placed to comfort her lover. If Alice had remained one of Philippa’s damsels after 1366, then in death Philippa certainly showed that she had no love for her: Alice was not bestowed an annuity by the queen, unlike most other members of her household.1

But Philippa could not stop Alice attending her funeral as a mourner. Alice was listed alongside other ladies of Philippa’s household as receiving 6 ells of long black cloth for their mourning outfits.2 Perhaps members of Philippa’s household who were close companions of the queen and were aware of Alice’s status might have found Alice’s presence distasteful. But either Alice was still officially one of the queen’s damsels, and so was obliged to attend due to her position, or Edward was keen to have his mistress there as moral support. Regardless, most of the nobles of the realm were expected to attend the funeral of the queen who had been ruling for over forty years. There would be thousands in attendance, and so to prevent Alice’s attendance would only draw attention to her.

The position of Philippa’s ladies at court would have been debated in the months after her death. Some of them would have found their services no longer needed, whilst others would have been transferred into the households of other noblewomen at court. Most of Edward’s children were married and starting families of their own, and so there would have been positions available attending to the wives and children of the English princes. Katherine Swynford, the sister of Philippa’s lady-in-waiting Philippa Chaucer, had already found herself working as a governess for the children of John of Gaunt, and similar positions could have been found for other women.

However, many of the women of Philippa’s households would have no place left for them at court other than as guests. Edward certainly would have wanted to keep Alice close, so she might have been found another position at court or in the royal household, but otherwise Alice would have based herself in London to remain close to Edward. She was now the only woman in his life, and she would be keen to make sure her position did not slip.

As May 1370 arrived, Alice began to feel comfortable exerting her influence further. On the 14th of the month, Edward confirmed a transaction between Alice and Sir Alan Buxhill, one of the knights of his chamber.3 In December the previous year, Edward had granted Buxhill the wardship of a very valuable heiress, Mary Percy. Mary’s parents were both dead by the time she was a year old, and her inheritance included at least nineteen properties in the east of England worth at least £360.

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