13. Who is the only queen of the much married Henry VIII to be buried in Westminster Abbey?
From Quiz All Bits and Pieces No 2
Answer:
Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves (1515-1557) was the fourth wife of Henry VIII (1491-1547) in a mismatched marriage that saw Henry head for the hills as soon as he possibly could. To wriggle out of his fourth foray into matrimony, he claimed the following: (a) Anne had been contracted to marry Francis of Lorraine. Indeed she had, but both were only children at the time, and the betrothal was subsequently cancelled. (b) Anne was ugly and unattractive. She wasn't - contemporary accounts describe her as having a lovely face, long blonde hair, and of a gentle and docile nature. (c) Anne smelled. A low blow. How could that be proved without people sniffing the poor young queen? Besides, Henry, with all his festering sores, probably ponged to high heavens himself. (d) He was certain Anne was not a virgin. As the marriage had never been consummated, how could the wily old lecher claim that? The plain truth of the matter was that he just didn't like Anne. She wasn't sophisticated, wasn't witty, had had no formal education, and only liked needlework and playing cards.
Henry slept in the same bed as Anne for the six months the marriage lasted, but he wanted out - and of course he had his way once again. No doubt he already had his eye on the young, nubile and very lovely Katherine Howard at that time as well. He married her that same year. Anne described her marriage with Henry to one Lady Rutland as ""When he comes to bed he kisseth me, and he taketh me by the hand, and biddeth me 'Good night, sweetheart'; and in the morning kisseth me and biddeth 'Farewell, darling.'" Lady Rutland is said to have responded with "Madam, there must be more than this, or it will be long ere we have a duke of York...". After her marriage was annulled, Anne lived, for the times, a long and comfortable life, paid off by Henry, on good terms with him, and quite content with her lot in life. She outlived the king and all his other wives by some years, and, in a kind of regal poetic justice, was the only one of that old rascal's many wives to be buried in Westminster Abbey.