A Prince to Die For (well, maybe not.)

I was telling my friend Mark yesterday that Henry VIII was very hot right now, especially for a guy who had been dead for almost 500 years. He was disbelieving, "you mean the fat guy who beheaded all of his wives?" Obviously, he has not been reading Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir, Robin Maxwell, or any of the other contemporary novelists who have been mining the life of the 16th century monarch for their latest novels. If you, like Mark, think that Henry was just a fat old dude who executed his wives when he was displeased with them, think again. In his heyday, Henry was considered the "handsomest prince in Christendom." At well over 6' with red gold hair and "shapely calves" (I'm not making this up) he was sought after by women for the obvious reasons and by men for the power he wielded as the King of England. But, like anyone who has it all, and an entourage of "peeps" to make sure he continues to get it all, Henry fell victim to his own excesses and in the end did, in fact, become a fat old dude who excuted his wives, although not all of them, just two.

But that was then and this is now and the real proof that Henry is hot is, of course, that he has become a TV series. The Tudors on Showtime, airs opposite The Sopranos on HBO. And rightfully so. Who else could go up against "The Tone?" Henry was the original "made man."

In a recent interview, Philippa Gregory, the author who started it all with The Other Boleyn Girl speculated that Henry's real appeal comes from the women in his life. Readers are drawn to women negotiating dangerous waters and let's face it, in the 16th century there were no more dangerous waters for a girl than those in which Henry VIII swam.

For a list of great novels about Henry VIII and the women in his life look for our Henry VIII and Company booklist by clicking here.