Six Lives: The stories of Henry viii’s Queens – review

Divorced. Beheaded. Died. Divorced. Beheaded. Survived.

If British children proudly memorise any piece of knowledge from their school days it’s this list of the fate of the six wives of Henry the viii. The Tudor King is one of the most best known figures of any historical monarchy and one who features as strongly in the public’s popular cultural consciousness as much as in the history books.

His six wives are the one of the main reasons for this cultural iconic status but with the exception of wife number 2, Anne Boleyn, not a great deal is known about the women.

The National Portrait Gallery’s excellent exhibition Six Lives:The stories of Henry viii’s Queens is packed with information about them.

Featuring beautiful portraits and contemporary photography of what they looked like produced from portraiture from the era, costumes from film and TV productions, drawings, and rooms, packed with factual and fictional materials, dedicated to each Queen, the exhibition is a must for fans of Tudor history and its most famous King and his Queens.

The exhibition runs until 8th September. It’s free for members and patrons of NPG and £21 for non members.