Catherine of Aragon

Today the National Portrait Gallery in London reunited Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon for the first time in nearly 500 years. The portrait of Catherine is on loan to the gallery by permission of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church Commissioners. It was spotted in Lambeth Palace by a member of the gallery's conservation and curatorial department. The portrait was supposedly of Henry VIII’s last wife Catherine Parr, but research strongly suggested this to have been a diplomatic political renaming of the sitter. Having the wrong queen on the wall in those days would be tantamount to treason. King and Queen are now on display in Room 1, admission free. CLICK for details.