On this day in history, the 12th July 1543, Henry VIII married the twice widowed Catherine Parr, Lady Latimer, at Hampton Court Palace. It was a private ceremony in the Queen’s Closet (private chapel) within the palace’s Chapel Royal and was attended by just twenty or so courtiers, including the King’s daughters, his niece, Margaret Douglas, the Duke and Duchess of Suffolk, the Countess of Hertford, Viscountess Lisle and Catherine’s sister and brother-in-law, Anne and William Herbert.
The marriage ceremony was performed by Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, and Henry vowed to “have and to hold… for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death us depart” and his bride, Catherine, vowed “to be gentle and courteous, and buxom in bed and in board”! The wedding was followed by a special celebration breakfast and Catherine was proclaimed Queen of England. Unlike Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, Catherine Parr was not crowned queen, she was, instead, proclaimed queen on the day of her marriage to Henry VIII.
You can find out more about Catherine Parr at:-
- Our Catherine Parr Bio page
- Catherine Parr in Danger, an article by Elizabeth Norton
- Last But Not Least: The Enduring Fascination of Catherine Parr, an article by Linda Porter
- Catherine Parr – The One Who Got Away
