Hello, I'm Lucy Worsley, chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces.

You're listening to our podcast that explores the history and stories of our six palaces.

These talks are a collection of some of our best live events.

I really hope you enjoy listening.

In this series of talks by renowned Tudor historians,

we closely examine the monarch and man himself, Henry D. 8.

These talks were recorded live in collaboration with history today

to mark the 500th anniversary of the coronation of Henry D.8.

In this episode, historian Susanna Lipscomb explores the idea of Henry

having two personalities. As a young man, Henry the 8th was thought to be very good looking,

was thought to be very talented, whether it was playing every musical instrument in the room

to entertain a visiting French embassy in 1517, as a fine

jowster, a capital horseman, surpassing all the archers of his guarded archery, and being

able to speak a number of languages and composing music, all these things.

But also as a young man, he was also thought to be very good-natured.

Thomas Moore spoke of his charisma, his way of making every man feel that he's

enjoying the king's special favour. The Venetian ambassador, Sebastian Gustinian, talked of his

affborn gracious nature. He was a man who harmed no one. And Erasmus noted that he was a man

of gentle friendliness and gentwin debate, more like a companion than a king.

What a contrast then to the later Henry, who was obese, savage, suspicious, tyrannical, his ministers noted his capriciousness

that he was often of a different opinion in the morning than after dinner,

or his irritability, or, you know, the king is irritable, and his ministers are a lost to account for it,

...