ABSTRACT
Archival evidence from Joan's household as countess of Kent, princess of Wales and Aquitaine or as the King's Mother is sparse at best. This chapter is less concerned with the veracity of contradictory evidence than with what that evidence suggests about the relationship between Joan's liminal position in the English political hierarchy and her personal reputation, and it will consider how each influenced the other. As a woman of influence with a reputation questioned by many, Joan's contemporary Alice Perrers. The comparison suggested between Joan and a mercenary's mistress indicates that by this point and even in France the Fair Maid's reputation had been sullied. It was, however, from the household of the prince and princess of Wales that evidence emerges of an apparently anomalous aspect of Joan's character and reputation. There is certainly no reason to believe that Joan’s choice of burial site was the result of a difficult relationship with Edward.
