Probably the most famous of the Six Wives was Anne Boleyn. Not only was it a love match but she was a clever woman and a diplomat. And, most importantly, her daughter Elizabeth turned out to be a spectacular queen. However, it’s hard to find trustworthy images of Anne Boleyn because she was ‘written out’ of Tudor history.

Above, is the posthumous portrait, probably commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I but the miniature is thought to be a surviving image of her painted from life.

Anne Boleyn had attracted the king’s eye after he tired of his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. He argued that the woman, who had been married to his older brother Arthur, who died, should not have been foisted upon him as a wife. They were married for 24 years but only one daughter was born, Princess Mary and future queen. Hence, the king’s break with Rome and the establishment of the Church of England with the King at its head. Below is an image of Katherine of Aragon.

After Henry tired Anne Boleyn and her inability to produce a son. His eye turned to Jane Seymour.

Jane Seymour was a favourite wife, and she produced an heir, the future King Edward VI who sadly died aged 15. And Jane died soon after his birth causing the King genuine grief and creating a vacancy.

So the next wife was Anne of Cleves. Her initial portrait didn’t attract the king but a second version, a miniature, convinced him that she should make a good wife. Below are the two images of her. The one of her looking directly at the viewer did the trick.

However, the marriage was quickly annulled. The King did not like the look of his ‘Flanders Mare’. And he looked around the court again and spied young Katherine Howard. Her scheming family were delighted at the prospect of a daughter of the family marrying into the royal family. Below is a miniature thought to be of her. Because she was accused of adultery and executed, her images were generally erased. Poor girl. She was only queen for two years.

The final queen was Catherine Parr. She was a good mother to the step-siblings and created a semblance of family life for them. By the time of their marriage, the king was in poor health.

King Henry VIII died in 1547 at the age of 55. He was enormously fat, as his portrait by Holbein and his suit of armour attest. But what a memorable monarch.

This exhibition gives each of the women in Henry VIII’s life equal status and the curators have assembled a wonderful collection of letters, books with inscriptions, jewels and other artefacts relating to them which have survived their histories. It’s a truly fascinating show and I do recommend it.

Six Lives: the stories of Henry VIII wives is at the National Portrait Gallery until 8th September 2024.