Get me to the church on time: Henry VIII's haste to be crowned as a married man

When Henry VIII ascended the throne in 1509 he was weeks shy of his 18th birthday.  Most would have assumed that the young King was to be crowned alone.

However, shortly after taking the throne, Henry announced that he was to marry the resident Spanish Princess, Katherine of Aragon.  The Infanta was the widow of Henry's brother Arthur and had once been betrothed to the new King himself.

The marriage would not end well.  But for Katherine, Henry's decision to marry her was more than a grand romantic gesture.  It rescued her from seven years of obscurity, isolation and genteel poverty.

This episode explores the history of the couple from their first meeting in 1501 to their eventual nuptials and speculates as to why Henry was in such a rush to take a wife.

What is Coronation Catastrophes, a Royal History Geeks podcast?

To commemorate the crowning of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Royal commentator James Taylor joins Royal History Geeks creator, Gareth Streeter to explore some of the most dramatic moments from historic coronations.

From Henry VII's desire to cut the role of Queen Consort from his crowning, to Henry VIII's desire to write it back in for his ceremony, we explore the significance of coronations to the early Tudor monarchy. We then fast forward to the nineteenth century and discuss the dramatic moments at George IV's big day and Queen Victoria's botched extravaganza.

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