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 ...