In the cae of Henry VIII, he ne er actually divorced asnyone, in the strict legal sense of the word. His marriages to Katherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleves were both annulled.

In the case of Katherine, Henry wanted the Church to say that his marriage to her had never been valid. Under canon law at the time, if Katherines' marriage to his late older brother Arthur had been consummated, then the marriage to Henry would have been deemed 'consanguineous' (incestuous) and therefore invalid. Canon law at the time did not distinguish between relatives by blood and relatives by marriage - any marriage between too-close relations was deemed incestuous. If Katherine had had sex with Arthur, that woiuld have made her, literally in the eyes of the Church, Henrys' sister.

Now Katherine and Arthur were fifteen when they were married, and lived together at Ludlow Castle on the Welsh Marches for a few months before both fell ill with the 'sweating sickness'. Arthur died but Katherine survived. She afterwards insisted that cthey had never consummated the marriage and the Pope supported that - mainly for political reasons. As a result, Henry set up his own Church to have the marriage annulled. So it wasn't a divorce as such, more a recognition that they had never really been married.

In the matter of Anne of Cleves, the story goes that Henry found her so physically repugnant that he was unwilling or unable to consummate the marriage "I left her as good a maid as I found her." He is reported to have said. Anne never disputed this and the marriage was duly annulled. But that does not explain why she and Henry remained close friends for the rest of Henrys' life, being referred to as "the Kings' Most Beloved Sister" , to whom he made a generous allowance and gave a home. She never married. The theory has been advanced that Anne was a lesbian, confessed as much to Henry on their wedding night, and threw herself on his protection. Henry, who was ruthless in politics and occasionally quick-tempered, was not as much of a bastard as some have said, and though he had in the past, and would again, have a wife executed when it was necessary, he is never been recorded, or even accused of, being personally violent toward women. Anne is said to have described him as a considerate husband during their short marriage. He would, after all , have been within his rights, and indeed expected to, rape her under the law and customs of the time. Instead she got her annulment and was looked after ever after. If this is the case, it throws and interesting light on Henrys' character.