483 years today, on the afternoon of 7th September 1533, Henry VIII’s second wife, Queen Anne Boleyn, gave birth to a baby girl at the Palace of Placentia (Greenwich Palace).
Chronicler Edward Hall recorded the royal birth:
“The vii. day of September beyng Sondaie, betwene thre and foure of the Clocke at after noone, the Quene was delivered of a faire Lady […]”
He records that a Te Deum was sung and “great preparacion was made for the christenyng”, which would take place on 10th September. Although the baby wasn’t the longed-for prince, her safe arrival was still worth celebrating in style. The little girl was named Elizabeth and she would grow up to be Queen Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, Gloriana and Good Queen Bess, a monarch who would rule for over 44 years.
