The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory
rated: 5 out of 5
"I am Catalina, Princess of Spain, daughter of the two greatest monarchs the world has ever known...and I will be Queen of England."
This is the story of Catalina, Princess of Spain who would become Queen Katherine of England the first wife of Henry VIII. It begins when Catalina is just 5 years old.
Catalina, the the Spanish Infanta, has been raised to think of herself as the future Queen of England and has been betrothed to Arthur, the Prince of Wales, since childhood.
Catalina has no doubts in her mind that she is destined to be Queen of England.
Her parents, Queen Isabel of Spain and King Ferdinand of Aragon are both rulers and warriors.
When Catalina is 15, she is sent to marry Arthur and leaves her home and family in Spain behind. She becomes the Princess of Wales. She is homesick, but she knows this is her destiny. She and Arthur end up falling deeply in love, which is rare considering they are forced to marry. They plan on how they will rule England together once they become King and Queen. But they are only married 5 months before Arthur becomes sick and dies suddenly.
'I love him so deeply. I did not know that I could ever love anyone like this. I can feel myself growing in patience and wisdom, just through my love for him. I step back from irritablility and impatience, I even bear my homesickness without complaint. I can feel myself becoming a better woman, a better wife, as I seek to please him and make him proud of me. I want him always to be glad that he married me.
I want us always to be as happy as we are today. There are no words to describe him....there are no words.'
On his deathbed Prince Arthur makes her swear she will marry his younger brother, Harry, and eventually become Queen and rule England the way they planned together. Harry is just 10 years old at this time.
Catalina is left a widow but refuses to gome home to Spain.
Her plan is to marry Prince Harry, like Arthur wanted. She swears that her marriage to Prince Arthur had been unconsummated, this way she can marry Harry.
After seven years, the King dies and Harry choses Catalina for his bride, and they are finally wed. Catalina is finally Queen of England and can rule as she always wanted. She becomes 'Katherine Queen of England' and Harry becomes 'King Henry VIII'.
'They carried Catalina from the Tower to Westminster as an English princess. She traveled in a litter made of cloth of gold, carried high by four white palfreys so everyone could see her. She wore a gown of white satin and a coronet with pearls, her hair brushed out over her shoulders. Harry was crowned first, then Catalina bowed her head and took the holy oil of kingship on her head and breasts, stretched out her hand for the scepter and he ivory wand, knew that, at last, she was a queen as her mother had been: an annointed queen, a greater being than mere mortals, a step closer to the angels, appointed by God to rule His country, and under His especial protection.'
Catalina suffers alot throughout this story. Her true love Arthur dies and she has to marry his brother. Catalinas mother dies and she never sees her again after she leaves Spain to marry Arthur. Her father abandons her once he sees that Arthur died and she was useless to him. The point of her marrying Arthur and becoming queen was to create an alliance between England and Spain.
She desperately wants to have children, most of all a son so he will one day be King. And her husband Henry is selfish and spoiled, she has to put up with is infidelity as well. But throughout her life Catalina remains 'constant', never giving up, always overcoming obstacles.
I don't read much historical fiction, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
It was just a juicy story, full of drama, backstabbing, heartache & romance. I liked Catalinas character, she was a strong woman, very naive at first, but determined. I like the love story between her and Arthur.
I will be reading more of Philippa Gregory novels.
You can read more about Catalina, Princess of Spain here & Henry the VIII by clicking here.
visit the authors website:
http://www.philippagregory.com/
this book has also been reviwed by : My Reading Adventures
