Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond, holds a peculiar place in British history as one of those ‘might-have-been’ characters. Had events turned out only slightly differently, he might have been king, instead of which he was secretly buried and quietly forgotten.
Henry Fitzroy was living proof that Henry VIII could father a healthy son. The only problem was that his mother wasn’t Henry’s legal wife, but his mistress, Elizabeth Blount. The mere existence of young Henry put his father in a quandary. Whilst he knew this meant he could sire children, and boys at that, he also needed a legitimate heir to inherit. Should he keep trying to produce a legitimate son or should he legitimise Henry?
Certainly the young Henry was not hidden away. On 18 June 1525, when he was just six, he was made Earl of Nottingham and, on the same day, received the unprecedented gift of the double dukedoms of Richmond and Somerset, as well as being granted various other honours. His education was carefully attended to by some of the finest scholars of the day, including Richard Croke. The little duke also took after his father in his great love of sports and hunting. Many considered him a youthful version of Henry VIII and there was even talk of making him king of Ireland when he reached his majority. The King further ensured the boy duke had a background in politics, summoning him to parliament, taking him to Calais to meet the French sovereign and arranging for him to reside for a while in the French court. A good marriage was also organised, possibly engineered by Anne Boleyn, who brought together Henry and her young cousin Mary Howard.
In 1536 a new Act of Succession was passing through parliament that would have allowed the King to name his successor as he chose. Before it was made law, tragedy struck. The normally hale and hearty duke was said to have been taken ill with a lung infection. Just two weeks after this announcement was made, he died, on 23 July 1536. He was seventeen years old.
Henry VIII had never officially recognised his son as his potential heir, perhaps always believing he would have a legitimate one, as of course he went on to do with Jane Seymour. Therefore, when Henry Fitzroy died, all plans and thoughts of his possible future greatness died with him. He was now simply a dead, illegitimate child, best forgotten. The Duke of Norfolk was ordered to arrange a secret funeral with as little fuss and attracting as little attention as possible. The body was wrapped in lead and placed in a wooden coffin, which was hidden in a cartload of straw. It was then taken away for a private interment, accompanied by only two mourners. At Thetford, a good distance from London, Henry Fitzroy was buried in the local priory, his body being moved to St Michael’s church in Framlingham when the priory was later dissolved by his father. The man who would be king was not to be mentioned again.
Did you enjoy that story? There are 133 others like it in my book ‘Secret Britain - the Hidden Bits of Our History’ available signed and dedicated direct from me, from Amazon or any good bookshop. I think it would make a rather good Christmas present, though I say so myself.
