King Henry VIII is most famously known for his 6 wives, and the fact he even executed
two of them.
He was driven to have a son and a male heir, and he was greatly frustrated with his second
wife Anne Boleyn, as she did not give him the son he desired.
Because of this, Anne made her way out onto Tower Green inside the walls of the Tower
of London and was executed in one swift blow from a French Swordsman.
It was Jane Seymour, Henry’s third wife who managed to give him what he wanted, in
the form of his successor Edward VI.
Edward VI’s reign following Henry’s death was short and would have been viewed as a
disappointment as he died at a young age and never really governed and ruled in his own
right, as a regency council was appointed for him.
But Henry VIII did have a son who would have probably been his heir should he have not
tragically died 52 days into his life.
Henry the Duke of Cornwall is the forgotten son of King Henry VIII, and the forgotten
Tudor Prince who should have been King.
Henry VIII should never really have been King of England himself, as his older brother Arthur
died following his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
Arthur Tudor died inside of Ludlow Castle, and was the heir of Henry VII, but Henry VIII
later married Arthur’s widow Catherine, who became his first of six wives.
On the 24rd June 1509, Henry took Catherine of Aragon from the Tower of London to Westminster
Abbey where they were coronated, 2 weeks after they were pronounced husband and wife.
The crowd was huge and was ecstatic at seeing the royal couple, and the coronation followed
a banquet at Westminster Hall.
The pair would spend much of their time together, and Catherine was presented as the Queen fo
England and she made a brilliant impression on the population.
Henry initially when he came onto the throne tried to also win over the population and
he arrested and executed two of his father’s most unpopular advisors, but his marriage
to Catherine was said at the start as being unusually good.
But despite this, Henry did take a number of mistresses.
Within a year of marrying his Queen, in 1510 Henry VIII was involved in an affair with
one of the sisters of the 3rd Duke of Buckingham Edward Stafford, and throughout his reign
he did sleep with other women as well as his wife.
But also within 18 months of getting married, Catherine of Aragon would fall pregnant with
the King’s child.
However this did not end in happiness, as Catherine gave birth to a girl who was born
stillborn girl who was born on the 31st January 1510.
It’s believed that this tragedy greatly upset the royal couple, as the first born
child of the monarchy would greatly have been celebrated across the nation, especially so
soon after the coronation and marriage.
But it would have been unlikely that this child would have been the successor as at
the time it was only sons who took the throne, and this wouldn’t change until the reign
of Lady Jane Grey and Mary I.
But shortly after the disaster regarding the first daughter, Catherine of Aragon fell pregnant
yet again.
Around four months after she was pregnant with another one of Henry VIII’s children,
but this time it would be everything the King wanted in life.
On the 1st January 1511, New Years Day a boy was born to Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon.
This could have been the son that changed everything, as it was possible that Henry
VIII would have not annulled or divorced Catherine of Aragon and looked towards Anne Boleyn later,
as she gave him the male heir he greatly wanted.
Henry the Duke of Cornwall was the first alive born child of the King and Queen, born 18
months after their wedding.
He was born at Richmond Palace in Surrye, one of the royal couple’s favoured residences,
and was christened on the 5th January in a huge ceremony.
Beacons across the nation were lit in honour of the prince who would become the successor
to the throne.
It’s said that Henry VIII was overjoyed by the news of his son’s birth, and he planned
celebrations as lavish as his own coronation.
Cannons along Tower Wharf fired a royal salute, and the midwife was given a large cash reward.
The child was named Henry after his father, and was carried into the Church of the Observant
Friars next to Richmond Palace for his christening.
Many ambassadors from France, Spain and even the Vatican witnessed the proceedings, and
he was then named as the Duke of Cornwall.
The boy’s godparents were Archbishop of Canterbury William Warham, the Earl of Surrey
and the Earl and Countess of Devon.
He also received sponsors from King Louis XII of France and Margaret of Austria who
sent expensive gifts including gold plate which was very valuable.
Following the baptism, the ambassadors went to Catherine’s privy chamber to pass on
their congratulations, and Henry the young prince was then left in his nursery at Richmond
to be raised.
He was visited him regularly by his parents, but his daily routine was overseen by his
mistress who employed a number of staff to care for the new prince.
Henry VIII who was in an enthusiastic mood then challenged any of his friends and closest
advisors to a celebrator joust on the tiltyard.
On the 12th February, one of the largest and most lavish tournaments of Henry VIII’s
reign was planned and occurred.
Catherine of Aragon and her ladies were sat in a large enclosure covered with cloth of
gold and purple velvet embroiled with Henry and Catherine’s initials and insignia.
A large pageant cart carried flowers and herbs and in the middle was a castle, and the cart
was pulled by a lion and an antelope.
The tournament hosted jousts and the King and his men rode into the tournament on their
prize horses, and Henry’s canopy held the golden imperial crown.
Prizes were given to the winners, and the King won the challenger’s prize.
Great celebration and banqueting followed, and there was dancing inside the Kings court
long into the night.
But ten days after this, tragedy struck.
Prince Henry the Duke of Cornwall had died inside the royal nursery at the age of 52
days old.
It’s not known what killed the boy, and he may have been taken ill for a short time,
but it’s unlikely that this could have been predicted as there are no records of the King
or Queen being summoned to see their son before their death.
Henry the Duke of Cornwall, the heir to the throne was placed inside a tiny coffin at
Richmond Palace, and then was taken down the River Thames to Westminster Abbey.
Three barges were draped in black and they took the young child’s body up the river.
All of those involved in the funeral dressed in black, including official mourners and
knights along with monks who received the remains of the prince inside the Abbey.
The choir was covered in black, and the coffin was then lowered into the grave, and Henry
the Duke of Cornwall was buried on the north side of the Sanctuary area near to the entrance
to the chapel of Edward the Confessor.
The royal couple were devastated by the death of Henry the duke of Cornwall, their 52 day
old son.
The prince would have probably have gone on to rule England as the successor to Henry
VIII if he would have lived longer, and he would have been the third Tudor Monarch.
The King and Queen considered that they were still young enough to have more children,
but Catherine of Aragon went on to have a number of other failed pregnancies, in which
the only surviving child that lived past infancy was Mary, the later Bloody Mary I. What came
next was great frustration that the King had towards his wife because of these failed pregnancies,
and ultimately he shunned Catherine of Aragon, moved her out of the royal apartments and
Henry VIII tried to divorce Catherine of Aragon.
This resulted in the largest shift in religion in England ever, in which the King pronounced
himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England and then split from the Pope.
It’s probable that if Henry the Duke of Cornwall would have survived, that the King
may not have turned his attention to women such as Anne Boleyn or Jane Seymour, and his
love life wouldn’t have been the most tragic and infamous in English History.
But the story of Henry the Duke of Cornwall is a tragic one, and he is considered today
the forgotten and lost Tudor heir and prince.
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