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

This episode was originally broadcast on May 3 2023