Reunited with their iconic portraits at the National Portrait Gallery.
Six Tudor queens – Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Katherine Parr - travelled across London convening at the National Portrait Gallery to visit the summer blockbuster exhibition, Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens. Members of the public encountered the characters at Waterloo Station, before the queens made their way to the Gallery to surprise Tudor fans and visitors to the exhibition.
On Thursday 18 July, travellers passing through Waterloo Station witnessed a very unexpected sight – six Tudor women united to celebrate the blockbuster exhibition, Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens. The exhibition, which opened at the National Portrait Gallery on Thursday 20 June, chronicles the representation of Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Katherine Parr throughout history and in popular culture.
Staged by the National Portrait Gallery, the intervention saw actors, dressed in distinctive Tudor costumes, bring their characters to life by posing for photographs and encouraging passersby to stop, double-take and think more about the individualities of each queen. The queens then made their way from Waterloo to the National Portrait Gallery, reuniting with the iconic sixteenth-century portraits that made them all stars in their lifetimes, before surprising Tudor fans and those visiting the exhibition.
“The portraits of Henry VIII’s queens are some of the most loved in the Gallery’s Collection,” said Denise Vogelsang, Director of Audiences at the National Portrait Gallery. “We instantly recognise Anne Boleyn from her pearl-drop ‘B’ necklace, and have heard the infamous story of Henry’s reaction to Anne of Cleves’ portrait, painted by Hans Holbein the Younger. These images have helped turn these women into enduring icons, and by meeting them ‘in person,’ we hope to give audiences the opportunity to experience their fascinating stories in a new way.”
Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens – Until 8th September 2024
National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE
Open daily: 10.30 - 18.00; Friday & Saturday 10.30 - 21.00
Tickets from £21 - Members visit free
Further Information & Tickets: Six Lives - National Portrait Gallery (npg.org.uk)