The audience to Steve Colter’s festival lecture on the life of Edmund Harman, tenant of Burford Priory and barber-surgeon to Henry VIII, had an unexpected bonus when Steve was joined on the platform by none other than the much-married monarch himself. Steve revealed a number of interesting facts in the course of his talk, one of which that in the course of his reign Henry was responsible for the deaths of 72,000 people, not all of whom he was married to. Apparently Harman’s role was to look after some very intimate aspects of the king’s health, one requirement being to monitor the royal wee. Henry was asked to provide a sample - fortunately he was prevailed upon to leave the stage first - and he produced a glass of very dubious-looking cloudy liquid which Steve sniffed, drank and pronounced to be evidence of robust royal health.
Some members of the audience noticed a striking resemblance between the king and Rory Darling. Could Rory perhaps de descended from Henry on the wrong side of the blanket? Clearly some more testing is needed.
Bridge royal correspondent
With characteristic shyness His Majesty kept his face away from the camera
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