Does anyone know why anne boleyn always wore green.?

Question

from the movie the other boleyn girl, based on the novel of the same name.

Answer 1

That's a myth, although not one I often hear in association with Anne Boleyn.

She didn't wear green all the  time, nor did she wear any other particular colour too often. She was considered the leading trend-setter in the Engllish court of her times, and her fashion choices would have been extremely limited, if the only colour she wore were green.

Morever, she was educated and initially served as lady-in-waiting in the French court, and the colour green was never popular in France.

Where have you heard the rumour?

EDIT: I see. But trust upon my word: "The Other Boleyn Girl" (both the novel and the movie) are the least reliable source for any information about Anne or Mary Boleyn. It's filled with so many hidous errors that this one, compared to the other stupid rumours, might have even seemed probable. Nevertheless, it's completely false.

If you would like, I can provide links to different eye-witness acounts of her appearance, including outfit (those would include accounts of her wedding-day, accounts from different ambassadors, poets and/or other eyewitnesses), as well as a few portraits of her.

She doesn't wear green in ANY of them.

The only time I can remembered when Anne is mentioned to wear green is during one of the visits to Princess Elizabeth. During the visit, both Anne and Elizabeth wore green and I believe Henry (also present) and something green on him as well. I'm not sure where I've read this: it might be in a book (and therefore a fantasy), so it's not remotely as reliable as the accounts mentioned above.

Hope it helps.

Answer 2

Anne Boleyn wore all kinds of colours, not just or predominantly green.  She was indeed "the most fashionable and accomplished woman at the court and she has been referred to as a "glass of fashion"."

http://amolife.com/personality/anne-bole...

Anne had spent some years at the French court, and had quickly picked up a great sense of fashion and style.

The answer lies below under "Sources".  It seems the costume designer wanted to distinguish between the two sisters and their fortunes by colour.

At her coronation, she was "dressed in a kirtle of crimson velvet decorated with ermine, and a robe of purple velvet decorated with ermine over that, and a rich coronet with a cap of pearls and stones on her head; and the old duchess of Norfolk carrying her train in a robe of scarlet", and at her execution she "wore a red petticoat under a loose, dark grey gown of damask trimmed in fur and a mantle of ermine. Her dark hair was bound up in a white linen coif and she wore her customary French headdress."

http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Boleyn...

I had wondered whether the colour green was a nod to the song "Greensleeves", which is popularly thought to have been written by Henry VIII about Anne, but in fact this is a myth as as the style belongs to a period after Henry's death, and the first printed version appeared during the reign of Elizabeth I.

Answer 3

I really doubt the real Anne Boleyn always wore green. It must've had something to do with the costume designers for the movie, or maybe the actress looked good in green but I don't think it symbolizes anything. I've read a little history on the Boleyn girls, and there wasn't anything that said she fancied green.  

Answer 4

ive heard somewhere that green was considered to be the color of prostitutes in anne's time whether its true or not I'm not sure. as for the song greensleeves. the lyrics were supposedly written by henry in a letter to anne, and later set to music after his death. if you have ever read any of his letters it wouldn't be to hard to imagine him writing it.