New Image of Henry VIII

The illustration of a little red-headed boy weeping at the bed of the deceased Queen Elizabeth of York is thought to be one of the earliest portraits of Henry VIII. Interesting that it would show Henry grieving over the death of a Queen of England, in this case his mother. To quote:

Dr Maredudd ap Huw explains, “The manuscript contains an illumination showing the presentation of a volume to a monarch. Two girls wearing black head-dresses are shown in the background, together with a young boy weeping at a black-draped bed. Preliminary investigations suggest that these background figures may be the 13 year old Princess Margaret (later wife of James IV of Scotland), 7 year old Princess Mary (later wife of Louis XII of France), and 11 year old Prince Henry (later king Henry VIII), shortly after the death of their mother in February 1503.”

“We know from other sources that Henry VIII had a cold relationship with his father, but was very close to his mother, ” Dr ap Huw added. “We know that the young Henry was devastated by the death of his mother. This is probably one of the most vulnerable depictions of Henry. It has him in mourning and is different to the later images of him as a swaggering warrior king.” (Read entire article.)