The only Tudor Queen to be buried with Henry VIII

Jane Seymour, the only of King Henry VIII’s wives to receive the burial of a queen, died on 24 October 1537 at Hampton Court Palace. 

Seymour was most likely born in 1508, but her birthdate is unknown; she was born to Sir John Seymour and Margery Wentworth. 

Her first confirmed role at court did not come until 1532 when she was a maid of honour to Queen Catherine (of Aragon). After Catherine’s removal from court, she then served Queen Anne Boleyn. 

In the few months before Anne’s trial and execution, the King became very interested in Jane Seymour. She was not known for being a striking beauty or quick wit like the queens before her, but her quiet and comforting presence appealed to Henry. 

Henry married Jane on 30 May 1536 at the Palace of Whitehall. She was rather the opposite of Anne Boleyn – she largely stayed out of politics and was nowhere near as social. 

Seymour was pregnant by January 1537 and gave birth to the future King Edward VI on 12 October. After a difficult labour lasting days, she quickly fell sick. Historians did not know if it was due to a retained placenta or a fever due to infection, but she died on 24 October. 

Henry mourned her for three months before beginning the search for a new wife. He would be buried beside her in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor, and she was immortalised in Hans Holbein’s family portrait of the Tudor King.