Katheryn Howard: Henry's Thorny Rose (Part three)
© Lyndal White
THE COURT
At fifteen Katheryn's life changed again with the offer of a position of lady-in-waiting to Anna of Cleves, Henry's fourth wife. Secured for her by her uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, Katheryn was mindful of the honour and resolving to put her unsatisfactory past behind her. She arrived at court with all the appearance of a teenage virgin. It has not been well documented where Henry first laid eyes on her but it can only have been a matter of weeks before she was elevated to a position of the King's favourite. Catapulted to such a heady situation of power suddenly the girl from nowhere was the girl who was going everywhere and so here again we must pause to consider the ramifications of such a change.
Pardon the pun...did it go to her head? Absolutely! Who of us would it not affect? All the baubles of wealth and power were now hers. Henry, besotted with her youth and freshness showered her endlessly with everything he had at his disposal and yet from all accounts these were not of huge importance to her as she frequently gave them away. To look back down the telescope of time she had a kind heart if a naïve disposition. Her kindness was demonstrated in her refusal to allow Anna of Cleves to bow to her after her marriage, reportedly stating "It is I who should bow to you" unnecessary, as technically Anna was then the second lady of the land.
Katheryn and Henry were married, with great speed and secrecy at Oatlands Palace on July 28, 1540 just days after Henry's annulment to Anna of Cleves. Henry felt the secrecy necessary so he could enjoy some time with his new bride before the official announcement which was not made until 8 August where Katheryn's first public appearance was to dine under an official cloth of estate.
The first few months of the marriage were spent at Hampton Court where they were reportedly happy. The next few months were spent on a summer progress where Henry traveled through the North Country presenting his pretty new queen to the adoring, if somewhat confused, masses.
It was a traveling marriage as they made several progresses during that summer staying in seclusion in small wooded manors and it was here on the Northern Progress that the sexual misconduct occurred with her cousin Thomas Culpeper. They had first met as children although Katheryn's memory of that meeting was dim. Culpeper was a groom in Henry's private chamber and one of his most personal servants. A good looking young man Katheryn was instantly attracted to him and the affair began in earnest during the August of 1541. It was said at the time that Katheryn would "seek for the back door and back stairs" at every stop during this tour and set Lady Jane Rochford, Anne Boleyn's former sister-in-law, to guard her chamber, terrified of betrayal by the courtiers that surrounded her. Henry was continually laid low with his leg ulcer and retired early most nights to gain some relief from the pain, leaving his young bride alone and seeking entertainments of her own. As Katheryn's past had demonstrated she could not resist such an adventure, was understandably bored although inexplicably, not thinking. How she could have believed she could keep this affair quiet is barely credible but youth has its arrogance so despite growing rumor she continued without much thought for the future.
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