Also, I find it difficult to believe Henry Carey was the son of Henry viii. Henryviii never gave him the time of day, and Henry was a doting father (when the mood struck him)to all his children, illigetimate or not, but he was frantically protective of sons, despite wanting Anne, I doubt he would have ignored a natural son when he was so desperate for male children.
Henry VIII was desperate for
Legitimate Sons. There is a difference, and there especially was to him and to the Tudor Dynasty. It would not have mattered if he had 10 illegitimate sons. If he had no lawful son to inherit the throne after him, he would have found it very difficult indeed to try to place an illegitimate one there instead.
Of course, whether or not Henry Carey was his son remains a hot topic of debate among many historians. There are some that say he could not have been the son of Henry VIII because the King never recognized him and did not elevate him to a high position as he did with Henry FitzRoy.
On the other hand, there is some evidence to suggest that Henry Carey was his son. He himself claimed in 1533 that he was “Our Sovereign Lord the King’s son”. He became the ward of Anne Boleyn after the death of Sir William Carey in 1528, and was thereby ensured an excellent education. He apparently remained mostly at court as an adult, where he worked tirelessly for the will of his Sovereign.
Henry VIII had nothing to gain by claiming either of the Carey children. By law, they were considered to be the children of William Carey. He certainly couldn't claim them before he married Anne, which would futher complicate an already complicated situation. After her trial and execution, I'm sure everyone had had quite enough of the Boleyns, and it would have again been imprudent to acknowledge them.
In fact, leaving everyone to believe that they were the offspring of William Carey was probably a kinder fate for them both. It left them without any stain on their reputations, and allowed them to become trusted courtiers under Henry VIII's watchful eye.
William Carey was rewarded with royal grants in 1524 and 1526, which are thought to have been the birth dates of Catherine and Henry Carey. Some historians feel that the King was compensating Carey for the fact that these were not his biological children. William Carey, was also given royal grants in 1522 and 1523, which is thought to be the beginning years of his affair with Mary Boleyn.
Henry VIII admitted his affair and also admitted “affinity” and “consanguinity” with Mary Carey and it could be pointed out that his dispensation to marry Anne probably would not have been necessary if no children had resulted from the relationship.
It was Elizabeth I, however, that elevated Henry Carey to a peerage. Elizabeth also visited him on his deathbed and gave him the patent and robes of the Earldom of Wiltshire, which he refused. It is also said that when Elizabeth died, Henry Carey’s son, Robert, received the ring taken from the Queen’s hand. Catherine Carey had attended the Queen, was buried at Royal expense and given a prominent memorial on her death.
Neither of the Carey children ever suffered any misfortunes in Elizabeth's Court. They never fell from favor with her, and were members of her closest inner circle. And it must also be said that Catherine Carey's daughter, Lettice, bore a remarkable resemblance to Queen Elizabeth. Even though they were maternally related, it was the Tudor red hair that made Lettice Knollys favor the Queen so much.
Of course, it cannot be said with certainty that Henry VIII fathered Henry Carey. I hope one day we will have a definite answer to this question. It does seem very likely that he was the father of Catherine Carey, at least.
What a sore loser.
