It must have seemed an elegantly simple solution to Henry VIII. Rather than divorcing his wife, he’d simply compel her to take holy orders. Katherine’s piety was well-known, and no one would doubt her sincerity.
Unfortunately for Henry, that piety cut both ways: Katherine took her marriage vows very seriously. When the idea was put to her, Katherine responded “God never called me to a nunnery. I am the King’s true and legitimate wife.”
Henry would continue to search for a way to rid himself of his no-longer-wanted Queen.
