The royal divorce landmark in the history of the monarchy in Britain

If the British royal family is famous for anything and what the institution represents, it is certainly the belief in tradition and respect for manners and customs, with all that that entails, of course. Its members are taught to follow strict protocols and to live every day with unbreakable rules, making everyone wonder if all this is really necessary in the end.

However, all protocols and regulations are to be violated, they say, with him king Henry VIII made the beginning and provoked reactions both in the small circle of his family and in the crowds with an unprecedented and unheard of decision for his time – he was King of England from April 21, 1509 until his death. One of the things with which King Henry VIII will remain forever connected, this is none other than divorce. Yes, you read that right. Even kings have passions – at least that is what history has shown – that make them resort to harsh decisions and actions that provoke.

King Henry decided to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, after it was revealed that she could not offer him the coveted male successor he so desperately needed. Of course, this was not the only reason the King of England even went so far as to change the religion of the country to take divorce. Everything was done for the eyes of a woman, and more specifically of Anna Bolen, who was already his mistress, as tatler.com reports.

While, however, he is not the first monarch to divorce his wife – the leaders belong to King Louis VII of France – his actions brought “cosmogenic” changes, leading to the English Reformation.

Five centuries later, royal divorce is a fairly common occurrence, now, with three of her four children Queen Elizabeth to be divorced, while the same applies to one of her grandchildren and her own sister.