On February 22^nd, Prince Henry, the 52-day old son of Catherine of Aragon and King Henry VIII died suddenly.  Henry and Catherine had only been married for eighteen months when their son, Henry (‘Hal’), was born in the early hours of January 1^st, 1511. 

Named after his father and grandfather, the baby was immediately styled the Duke of Cornwall. The Duchy of Cornwall is England’s premier dukedom since it was the first to have been created and is always awarded to the heir apparent to the throne.

The country went wild with news of the birth.  Across the country, there were bonfires, banquets, cannons were fired, bells were rung and fountains with filled with wine and the largest jousting tournament ever was staged in England.  

Prince Hal was baptised at the Chapel of the Observant Friars when he was four days old at Richmond with King Louis XII of France named as one of his godfathers although he did not attend the service.   As one born to rule, the baby was guarded by forty men at arms and attended by a permanent physician, grooms and four gentlemen ‘rockers’ whose single role was to rock the cradle. There was no explanation for Prince Hal’s sudden death but it became of huge significance since it led to the divorce of Henry and Catherine following her failure to produce another male heir.