A royal welcome for Princess Charlotte of Cambridge

“Royal watchers can be sure that the new princess’s life will be very different from that of Katherine of Aragon (1485 to 1536),” said guest speaker Robert Kapper who pointed out that 500 years ago, royal women were virtual commodities sold to the best bidder for their royal connections, jewellery and most important of all, their fecundity.

Kapper added that the healthy royal production lines of today were certainly not reflected in the days of Henry VIII. “What might today’s succession have been like if one of Henry and Katherine’s sons had lived beyond infancy?” he asked. “Inbreeding and the lack of medical knowledge at the time took its toll and Mary was the only one of Katherine’s six children to survive.”

He added, “When William is crowned, Kate will not only have brought new blood into the monarchy, but will be following a long line of royal tradition as the sixth Queen Katherine.”

Jacci Babich from the forum said Kapper energetically presented an enlightening blast into the life of Katherine of Aragon. “He brought the history of the brave, well educated, staunch and loyal queen to life,” added Babich.

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