I have often wondered what was going through the mind of Katherine Parr at New Year, 1547. She was holding court at Greenwich as the year turned and the celebrations continued. However, her husband, King Henry VIII, was at Hampton Court. She would never see him again. Did Katherine know that a great change was on its way?
Katherine and Henry had been married for over three years by this point and had spent the other festive seasons of their union - 1543, 1544, 1545 - together. However, just before Christmas Day, Henry insisted that Katherine depart. His health was failing although he showed every sign of holding on to power. Katherine, who had survived an attempt to overthrow her earlier in the year, agreed to his demands. But did she know that this would be their final parting?
Katherine, we know, was a smart cookie. Little got past her and she was shrewd enough to study, in depth, all of those around her. Henry had a reputation for never saying goodbye. He had parted from previous wives without even a word, cutting off contact and putting in place barriers that ensured they would never get close to him again. There must have been a small thought in Katherine's head, as she kept Christmas and New Year in 1546/47 that Henry believed his time was coming to an end.
Katherine was an ambitious woman and could well have used the time to work out what she would do as queen dowager. Outwardly, she celebrated as she always had done. But her thoughts, like those of many at court, must have wandered to what the world would be like if the king who had shaped a whole country in his own image were to no longer be there. She would find out sooner than she might have imagined.
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