Anne of Cleves – maybe the best wife Henry VIII never had

Anne of Cleves

Anne of Cleves – maybe the best wife Henry VIII never had

When we think of Anne of Cleves, we can be led by how she is portrayed in so many films and novels. We think of her as simple and looking foolish in the grandeur of the English court. We think of her as a rejected old maid, set aside for the flirtatious and very young, Katherine Howard.

All wrong.

A simple maid?

Anne was born in Swan Castle, Germany, but much of her upbringing was in the Castle of Solingen, high on a hill. It was a close family and maybe unusual in the level of affection. Her parents, Johann and Maria, though married by political bargaining, fell in love and were openly loving towards each other. Young Anne and her siblings grew up with emotional intelligence and with an understanding of affection – something that was rare in the Court of Henry, where children were sent away from their parents and marriage was often a financial strategy rather than a love pact.

She and her siblings – Sibylle, Amalia and William, were close to their mother. William would have had a formal education as the male heir, but the girls would spend every day with their mother learning wifely skills of sewing, embroidery, baking, and even household accounts. There was some education in reading and writing, but in no language other than German. Therefore, Anne may have seemed very different to the woman of Henry’s court and certainly different to his first three wives who would have learned embroidery, flirtation, courtly sophistication, music, dancing, fashion and how to impress a king. But maybe the biggest difference was in sexual education. Henry’s Court was a powerhouse of flirtation, seduction, adultery and even unpaid prostitution. The castle of Solingen was low-key, familial and overseen by a loyal king. His daughters would have no male company after the age of twelve. This would certainly have led Anne to appear less sophisticated than the women of a Tudor court. If we need any proof, her response to a lady in waiting who asked about bedroom activity, was that Henry kissed her goodnight. She thought that was enough.

A rejected old maid?

Not at all. The only person to reject Anne of Cleves was Henry – her husband. Every other person loved her. The men who escorted her from Germany to England commented on her grace, and the ladies who looked after her became life-long friends. Her kindness to Henry’s children – Mary, Elizabeth, and Edward – made her beloved of them and she was an A-list guest at coronations and weddings. She was even adored by Katherine Howard – the replacement wife – who made a point of giving her gifts and dancing with her at court.

In fact, Anne even won the love of Henry, who having worked through his appalling reaction to her, began to see the wonderful, wise woman she was. She became his true friend and was elevated to the position of the king’s sister – second in power and prestige only to the queen. He lavished gifts, land and homes upon her and showed a respect very few enjoyed.

Little wonder there was a rumour that they became lovers – the story behind The Cygnet Prince coming out June 12th 2025. But that dark tale is for another blog.