KeyFacts: Born: 1520 at Lambeth, Surrey Queen of England Died: 13th February 1542 at Tower Green, London KeyWords: Katherine Howard Queen of England King Henry VIII Six Wives Duke of Norfolk Adultery & Treason Hampton Court Palace Execution Tower of London

Katherine Howard, fifth Queen of Henry VIII (and cousin of her predecessor, Anne Boleyn), was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper. Her mother died when she was a little girl and Katherine was brought up by her grandmother, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, in whose household, at Horsham (Norfolk) and then Lambeth (Surrey), she was very carelessly looked after. Katherine seems to have allowed herself to grow accustomed to acts of sexual impropriety. In the year 1540, she was brought to Court, perhaps with the intention of captivating Henry, by the agency of the Catholic party, then swayed by Bishop Gardiner. She was secretly married to the King in July of that year. Early in August, Henry acknowledged her as Queen.

Her conduct in this capacity was light-minded, if not wicked. Before the next year was out, she was having not-so-secret interviews with some of her old lovers, one of whom she actually made her secretary. In addition, she had at least one sexual affair with one of Henry's courtiers. When confronted with this evidence, Katherine denied that she had ever been unfaithful to Henry. Henry was stunned when he discovered evidence of his wife's treasonable behaviour; he was so offended that he refused to so much as speak to her. She was attainted of high treason in January 1542 and executed on February 13th. Some say a terrified Katherine still haunts the hallways of Hampton Court Palace as she continues to hope against the impossible hope of pleading her case before the King.