Thegreatestking Britainneverhad
Henry took on public role at age of 10 and was first to lay claim to the Americas but he died of typhoid before he could inherit throne
MORE than 400 years ago, one of the greatest Scottish royals you’ve probably never heard of was crowned Prince of Wales.
Henry Stuart knelt before his father, King James VI of Scotland and I of England. They had come to the Palace of Westminster in London to create the first Prince of Wales of all the countries of Great Britain.
Henry was dressed in purple velvet, including a 20ft-long train, lined with ermine.
King James crowned Henry with a gold coronet.
He put a sacred ring on his son and heir’s finger. It married Henry to his countries.
He gave the gold rod of judgment into the prince’s hands.
Henry stood up. More than 500 members of the political nation and representatives from scores of foreign powers bowed to honour the young man.
Tallis’s mind-blowing anthem Spem in Allium deafened them as he processed from the hall.
A witness said the whole place erupted in “applause, every man rejoicing and praising God… as if heaven and earth had come together”.
This event looked every bit like the coronation of a king. In reality, it was just the investiture of a Prince of Wales.
Usually conducted in private, Henry turned his investiture into the biggest state occasion of his father King James’s reign.
The event confirmed what everyone knew. What Henry had achieved and stood ready to achieve suggested to all of Europe he was a game-changing prince.
In 1610, Henry Stuart, Prince of Wales, was the kingdoms united.
But Henry was born and raised for the first 10 years of his life at Stirling Castle.
So, he might be Prince of Wales of Britain – but Henry was made in Scotland.
I told Grand Tours of Scotland presenter Paul Murton about Henry. His instant reaction was: “We have to make a programme about him. He’s brilliant – and hardly anyone has heard of him.”
The BBC were thrilled to discover the exciting story of
He began to collect paintings, coins and sculptures on a scale not seen before
Henry Stuart, so they mmissioned a documentary ed on my book about him. orn in Stirling Castle in ruary 1594, Henry grew up rounded by high-calibre tutors. wrote his first official letter to reign ruler aged six. He loved everything to do h the military arts. It was vital did. he bottom line of kingship in early 1600s was foreign policy. at meant knowing when and w to make war. Or, when and how to avoid it ough diplomacy backed up by rong defence capability. he prince and his friends nt hours every day on ordsmanship. From the age of r, they learned how to handle ols and a cannon. Henry hunted until he and his at horses moved as one. He taught his horses to turn on enny and stay calm under fire. s was an age of innovation in cavalry. Horses were weapons. see him like so many of our s. He revelled in his physical ess and loved to push his body ts limits. His mentors were preparing m to rule whenever his father, king, died. hat could have happened any – since 1406, all Scottish narchs had come to the throne hildhood. ut Henry’s father, King James survived. n 1603, Elizabeth I, last of the dors, died. The Royal Scottish arts were her heirs. They rode th to claim her thrones. rince Henry became the heir only to Scotland. He was sed to inherit the new multi-kingdom monarchy of Scotland and England, Wales and Ireland.
He had lived a pretty quiet and protected life at Stirling. That all changed after 1603.
In England, from the age of 10, he undertook public duties every day. He could not protest he needed his privacy. The price of his enormous privilege was fulfilling his duty to his country.
Princes today can struggle to find a purpose. We see them try to juggle the claims of duty and a private life. They only reign. They don’t rule. Henry trained every day for both.
As he grew up, he created magnificent palaces. He had to project all the pomp and circumstance of royalty to his fellow European princes.
He amassed the biggest private library in Britain. He began to collect paintings, coins and sculptures on a scale not seen before.
Today, these form the basis of the Queen’s royal collections.
Henry began a full-scale review of the Navy and armed forces. All this cost a fortune – and the Royal Navy were funded by the Royal Family.
His court ran at a big loss. He had no choice about his spending.
He had to make himself look magnificent. It was all part of royal virtue-signalling.
He ordered wood from South America for a floor – it cost the equivalent of £3000 to £4000 per square yard.
Henry was telling European rulers he must be heard, liked or even feared.
He had to command respect at home and in Europe – or be seen as weak, leaving his countries open to attack.
In Henry’s lifetime, Europe was dividing into two sides along religious lines – Catholics and Protestants. Across Europe, Henry Stuart, Prince of Wales, was being set up as the next leader of Protestant Europe.
He was seen as the real heir of Elizabeth I. She defended Protestant Europe in the Armada war. Henry expected to lead his allies in what would become the longest, bloodiest continuous conflict in modern European history – the Thirty Years’ War, from 1618 to 1648. To do it, he needed a lot more money than his assets as Prince of Wales could supply. To address that, he made himself Protector of Virginia in 1607. Henry stood behind the permanent planting of the British race in American soil. This was 13 years before the Mayflower set sail with the Pilgrim Fathers. Two ships set sail for the New World. In April 1607, they made first landing in Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. They named the point Cape Henry and claimed the continent for the Stuarts. As he neared adulthood, the prince was physically strong and ambitious. He was practical, not bookish like his father. Henry chose “Glory is the Torch of the Upright Mind” as his motto. It meant heroic actions, winning glory on the field of battle. James VI and I chose “Blessed are the Peacemakers”. There were problems ahead agreeing policy for the country. Henry grew more secretive as his ambitions parted ways with his father’s policies.
Once you did have Henry’s confidence, he relaxed and opened up. He loved banter and jokes, music and dancing.
In religion, he was a hardline Protestant with a youth’s black and white morality.
He enjoyed a loving relationship with his siblings and parents.
Reaching maturity, Henry was poised to make his dreams for himself and his peoples a reality. Except, he never did…
In the Indian summer of 1612, Henry dived into the River Thames for a cooling evening swim. He caught typhoid.
It got a grip in October. After weeks of suffering, made worse by barbaric cures, he died on November 6, 1612, aged 18.
His funeral was the first state funeral for a Prince of Wales. Only sovereigns and their consorts had them before Henry.
The shockwaves reverberated across Europe. Protestant Europe felt a little more insecure. Catholic Europe celebrated.
The Catholic rulers knew what a danger such a charismatic British heir posed.
Today, Henry has all but disappeared from history.
In The Prince Who Would Be King, I wrote his story to bring him back to life.
And on BBC2 Scotland, on St Andrew’s Night, Paul Murton goes on a journey to answer the questions: Who is this glorious prince? And why did he drop out of our national memory?