Tudor History with Claire Ridgway31 Aug 2025

What If Arthur Tudor Had Lived? | Interview with Leah Toole, Author of The Rose and The Pomegranate

What if Prince Arthur, Henry VIII’s elder brother, had survived?

In this special interview, I sit down with novelist Leah Toole to talk about her fascinating book "The Rose and The Pomegranate" — an alternative history novel that asks one of Tudor history’s biggest “what ifs.”

In Leah’s world, Arthur Tudor doesn’t die in 1502 — and the ripple effects are enormous. Katherine of Aragon’s destiny changes, Henry VIII’s life takes a very different course, and familiar figures like the Boleyns, Wolsey, and Cromwell walk entirely new paths.

In this conversation we explore:

- Why Arthur Tudor and this “what if”?
- How Leah balanced historical accuracy with imagination.
- Arthur and Katherine’s marriage — and how it might have unfolded.
- A reimagined Henry VIII without the six wives we know so well.
- Which events Leah chose to keep… and which to reshape.
- How a single turning point could have reshaped England, Europe, and the Church.

It’s a thoughtful, imaginative, and meticulously researched take on Tudor history that fans won’t want to miss!

"The Rose and The Pomegranate" is available now:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rose-Pomegranate-Leah-Toole/dp/173857783X/ https://www.amazon.com/Rose-Pomegranate-Leah-Toole/dp/173857783X/

What Tudor “what if” would YOU most like to see explored? Tell us in the comments!
More of my interviews: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLepqWJ7TpkrJ4vaP25436VYCw9ZB76J3J

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