Oooh, did Henry regret Anne's fate?  As much as I want to believe otherwise I really don't think he did.  In my view he COMPLETELY believed she was guilty and deserved to die so I don't see him as coming to regret her downfall in any way.  Afterwards he supposedly told Princess Mary and her half brother the Duke of Richmond that they were both lucky to be alive because Anne was planning on poisoning them.  Nor did he (to my knowledge anyway) regret Catherine Howards death.

That he should regret Cromwell's fate more than his own wives says a lot about his psychology I think!

The impact of Anne's death on the population at large is hard to ascertain; she was unpopular and had been thought of as a wh*re for a long time before hand, but I like to think that people (once they found out) had some sympathy for her even if they didn't like her personally.  It wasn't until Elizabeth became queen that there was any sort of rehabilitation of Anne's character and that people perhaps began to question the circumstances of her fall.  Suddenly because she was the reigning monarchs mother it was okay to acknowledge her again! 

Oh Boy….Henry and regret.  Don't get me started.  OOOPS..Too late.

I don't think Henry regretted killing Anne.  He wanted her out of his life forever and he got his way.  He found someone to take her place immediately.  Ha…regret?…not a chance!  Maybe, at the end of his life when he was getting ready to die….maybe then. I think Henry put Anne completely out of his mind.  The only time he thought of her, IMO, is when he looked at his daughter Elizabeth. (which wasn't that often) Even then I don't believe for one minute that he regretted killing her Mother.  He considered Elizabeth better off without Anne.

With Cromwell there is a difference.  Cromwell was Henry's right hand man.  He handled all of Henry's business, kept all records in order, and gave Henry advice.  Cromwell was a faithful servant.  And Henry must have felt lost without his trusted sidekick.  There was no other person who could fill Cromwell's shoes. Nobody was as competent as Cromwell. 

There was no man who could take Cromwell's place and be as efficient.  Whereas in the case of Anne…there was Jane… and then Anne… and then Catherine…and then…yet another Katherine.

Belle you are so right.  Henry's regret about Cromwell's death, and lack of regret for his wives, shows a deeply disturbed man.

I think that Henry wanted a way out so he could marry Jane,but he didn’t organize this whole  ordeal and Anne’s enemies used it as a chance.For them,it seemed like a win-win situation.They could get rid of an unwanted queen,a queen that not even her king supported anymore,they could please the King,gain the favour of the new Queen…Henry,or any other man at that,wouldn’t want to be called cuckold or admit he had been fooled.And I want to believe that when the accusations came forward known actually knew that she was actually going to be executed,no queen has ever been executed,perhaps banished or deportated.Obviously,as with K.Howard Henry was enraged,hurt,jealous and vengefull.And so Anne came to her tragic end.But she was innocent,and propably he could suspect but he wouldn’t go back.Many things in this case don’t make sence and neither did back then.But the decision was taken.So,Henry,killed her obviously Anne out of vengeance.That means that he still loved her a little,but in a sick and twisted way.The way many men usually hate a woman because they used to love her.And he did miss her but to him it was obviously a shame.As I believe,he did miss KoA too but he wouldn’t admit it.He had lived ten years loving Anne,lusting Anne,fighting  with Anne,making up with Anne,discusssing with Anne.He just couldn’t ignore  2/5 of his life,nor the little redhead girl whose eyes were those of her mother

Wow! I did not know that.  I am shocked that 1940's England was still charging people with witchcraft.  That is a little too close to today for comfort. A little scary, too. Is that law still on the books? Now I am curious.  It has me wondering if the US has that kind of stupid law on its books. I am going to have to do some research.

I think in my town it is illegal to walk down the sidewalk with an ice cream cone in your pocket.  In several southern states it is illegal to have sex in anything but the missionary position.  It is illegal in my state for 8 women or more to live in the same house because then it is considered a brothel.  My personal favorite non-sensical law is that the county where Jack Daniel's Whiskey is made is a dry county–it's illegal to sell liquor there.  The distillery is the only place in the county that can sell alcohol and they can only sell Jack Daniel's and never on Sunday.

Anyway, on to the question:  Henry would never have admitted that he missed Anne or regretted her murder (though, I'm sure he never saw it as such).  I think the only thing that made him admit his regret over Cromwell's death was probably frustration that things no longer ran as smoothly was they once had.  Cromwell always kind of seemed to anticipate Henry's desires and expectations and always accomplished things with minimal inconvenience to the King.  Once he was gone, no one would really fill his shoes.  If someone had been able to fully step into Cromwell's place, Henry wouldn't have regretted his death either.  I also think that he began to realize, after Cromwell's death, that he had been manipulated into having Cromwell executed by Cromwell's enemies at court, and, deep down, he probably realized that if he could have been manipulated into Cromwell's execution, then he also could have been manipulated into Anne's execution.  I think I even read somewhere that he did realize that Cromwell's charges had been trumped up by his enemies.  If he realized this, then he had to, on some level, realize that it was possible that Anne's charges, too, were possibly false.  Would he have ever admitted this–even to himself?  No way, but I believe he was conscious of it, and it probably didn't help to make him a more pleasant person later in life.  

I also think that his marriage to Katherine Howard was a direct result of the fact that he missed Anne.  I think something about Katherine's youth and vitality reminded Henry of Anne and he was trying to recapture that.  Then, of course, Katherine was beheaded because of her own indiscretions and Henry went searching for another Jane Seymour/Anne of Cleves and found Katherine Parr.  

I doubt Henry ever regretted murdering Anne Boleyn any more than he regretted any other murders, thefts, and cruelties he doled out like candy to pretty much everybody around him. 

If anything, I'm sure Henry felt sorry for HIMSELF for being “beset” with disloyal, faithless, traitorous subjects and family members.  Inconvenient wives, opportunistic friends, “incompetent” ministers and administrators. 

Anne Boleyn was just one more imperfect person who “let Henry down.”  She was supposed to present him with a fit, healthy male child and she didn't do that.  In the world according to Henry, that amounted to treason. 

I don't think Henry gave Anne another thought once he'd executed her as his thoughts were too much of Jane Seymour and the son she would give him and as for missing her, no not at all……BUT I do believe that as Henry lay dying I think she must have come into his thoughts and yes I do think then Henry was terribly guilty at what he'd done to her and the others.

I agree with both your posts here, La Belle. Henry was a self-centered SOB.

I think the only thing Henry would have regretted about Anne was ever meeting her. He would thrown himself a pity party ” Oh woe is me”

Henry was only ever in love with one person.

Himself.