On Tuesday 30th May, just eleven days after the execution of his second wife, Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII married Jane Seymour in the Queen’s Closet at York Place (Whitehall), the property renovated by himself and Anne.
The King and Jane Seymour had become betrothed on 20th May, a day after Anne’s execution, but did not marry immediately because the speed of their relationship sounded “ill in the ears of his people”. As if an extra ten days made any difference!
David Starkey believes that Jane was probably kept in seclusion at Chelsea between the betrothal and her wedding day, after which she took her place at the King’s side as Queen. Sir John Russell wrote to Lord Lisle about Jane’s first appearance as Queen:
“On Friday last [2nd June] the Queen sat abroad as Queen, and was served by her own servants, who were sworn that same day. The King came in his great boat to Greenwich that day with his privy chamber, and the Queen and the ladies in the great barge.”
Jane was officially proclaimed Queen at Greenwich Palace on 4th June 1536, Whitsun.
Snippets taken from a chapter of Claire Ridgway’s The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown
I’m sure I’ve read this somewhere and forgotten, but was Catharine and Anne the only wives of Henry’s to be crowned as Queen Consort?
Well, I answered my own question. Catharine Parr was coronated also.
Only Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn were crowned Queen. Catherine Parr did not have a coronation, she was proclaimed Queen on the day of her marriage to Henry VIII.
Catherine of Aragon was crowned in a joint ceremony with Henry VIII. Jane was due to have a coronation but she died before it got organised. Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard were never crowned.
Thank you for clarifying that. My first thought was correct. I misread a resourse on Queen Katharine.
Its quite strange isn’t it in the fact it was deemed fit to become betrothed the day after Anne was executed, but held back for another ’10 whole days’ before he remarried for it to seem a decent period!!
Honestly..Who did he think he was fooling.
Jezuz, both Jane and Henry were cold! Especially Henry, of course! He viciously dumped both Katherine and Anne, imprisoning one until her death where she died without family present, and murdering the other! Then, cold as ice, both marrying another only 10 days later!!! Henry was viciously cold. I wonder about Jane. How much real choice could she have, she certainly couldnt have rejected and shamed the King. Yet, she was Anne’s enemy of course. But to her credit, she certainly showed great kindness to Mary after she married her father. But then again, Mary was no threat to her, and Mary was her friend, or at least, she was friendly with Mary. Still, she really did try to get Henry to reconcile with Mary. People are so complex…