Original subtitles

- When we compare the present life of man on earth

with that time of which we have no knowledge,

it seems to me like the swift flight

of a single sparrow through a banqueting hall

on a winter's day.

After a few moments of comfort,

he vanishes from sight into the wintry world from which he came.

Even so, man appears on earth for a little while;

but of what went before this life or what will follow,

we know nothing.

In these last days

I have been thinking a great deal about loss.

What loss, Your Grace,

is to man the most irrecoverable?

- His virtue. - No.

For by his actions, he may redeem his virtue.

- Then his honor. - No. For again,

he may find the means to recover it,

even as a man recovers some fortune he has lost.

- Then I cannot say, Your Majesty.

- Time, Your Grace.

Of all losses,

time is the most irrecuperable,

for it can never be redeemed.

- Walter!

Take this very carefully and give it

to my Lord Risley.

- Yes, Your Grace.

- The Lord High Admiral of France.

- Your Majesty.

- Salutationes Domine, Praefectus Magnus Galliae.

Salvete Regis Enrici

octavi maiestatis.

- Thank you, Your Highness.

It is my great privilege and honor to be here.

- My Lord Admiral. - Madame.

- May I present

His Majesty's daughters, the Lady Mary and the Lady Elizabeth.

- Enchanté. I never thought to be welcomed

in this cordial way by His Majesty's family.

- [Hertford]: Ah, but you are a very special

and honored guest, Admiral D'Annibault.

And your visit most timely.

I am sure His Majesty will be here presently.

- My Lord Hertford seems to be in the King's good graces.

- I fear it seems to be so.

The Earl grows more powerful

daily because of the King's infirmity

and his control of the boy.

- God help us then if the King should die.

- Yes.

But I have heard many say

that the people would rather see you anointed as Queen

than leave the country

at the mercy of a mere child

and an overweening uncle.

- And what of the Queen?

- Ah... you shall hear more on that subject...

...very soon.

[Thump, thump] - The King!

- Your Majesty.

- Admiral.

We are very pleased to make a new treaty with France.

I will have no further business with the Emperor...

who has betrayed me at every turn.

- I can assure Your Majesty that you will find us

good and faithful friends... unlike the Emperor.

- As you know,

in my Kingdom I have made many changes to religious life.

I have reformed a corrupt church.

I have swept aside hundreds of years

of lies and superstitions.

I have revealed to all mankind

that the Pope is but a fallible prince,

and not the voice of God.

All this, no doubt, you'll have heard.

- I am certainly aware that Your Majesty has wrought

many changes... in your own Kingdom.

- Well, if we are going to be allies, Monsieur,

then I propose a further change.

I propose that Mass be abolished

in both our realms-and replaced with a simple communion service.

Now, how would you feel about that?

- Your Majesty, I have no authority to renegotiate the terms of our treaty...

especially, as Your Majesty knows, my King is dying.

- Of syphilis, I know.

I am very sorry to hear it.

I have known Francis a long time,

and I beg you to send him my love.

But you may also tell him

that his disease is a reminder of his own mortality!

Which, in times past, he has forgotten!

- Walter? - I have something for you to show the Queen.

I'm supposed to take it to Lord Risley.

Hide it. When the Queen's read it, give it back to me.

- ...so handsome. - Oh, hush, sister.

What is it?

Oh my God.

[Sound of woman sobbing]

- What is that?

Who is it?

- It's... it's the Queen's Majesty, Your Majesty.

- And why is she screaming like that?

I'll go and see her.

[Katherine sobbing]

Kate, what is it?

- I...

I fear...

you have grown displeased with me.

- Why so?

- Because...

I fear that you have...

utterly forsaken me.

- I don't understand.

What has caused you to think so?

Why would I have reason to be displeased with you?

- Are you not displeased with me?

- Kate,

I will ask you one more time:

is there any reason I should be?

- No. There is none, your Majesty.

- Good day, my Lady.

- Sister! Ladies! Now, you must do as I ask.

Clear your coffers of all books...

whether you suppose them to be forbidden or not! From now on we shall talk

no more, amongst ourselves, of any matters, whether religious

or controversial, and I shall try, in all things,

to conform myself to the King's mind. Now go.

Hurry!

- My Lord Hertford. - Mademoiselle...

good day.

May I be presented to His Grace?

- Alas, my Lord, His Grace is indisposed.

He caught a chill and is still abed.

- I am very sorry to hear it.

I will return some other time, when the Duke is well.

- No, no, my Lord.

I am well enough to see you.

- Que fais-tu?

- Ne t'inquiète pas, ma Cherie. Je vais bien.

My Lord.

I think your faction is engaged

in a fight to the death with Bishop Gardiner and his.

- I will not hide the truth from you, Your Grace.

The King's infirmity

and the youth of my nephew

make the question of succession urgent.

The stakes could not possibly be higher.

- And you desire to know, I assume,

on which side of the argument I belong?

- Your Grace, whether you will it or not,

you carry a great weight of confidence and influence with the King.

And everyone knows that.

But fewer people know that your wife, the Duchess,

and my wife Anne, together with the Queen,

are as close on matters of religion as it is possible to be.

And this close affinity has

emboldened me, now, to approach Your Grace.

- Surely your wife has told you

that the Duchess and I are estranged!

Thus her affinities are not necessarily my own

and you do me a disservice to assume they are.

Your Grace, forgive me...

- I do forgive you. I forgive you even for hounding poor,

proud Surrey to his death...

for it was his fault.

But as to religion.

I have never read the Gospels, and never shall.

I am sure they enlighten you,

but I prefer them to remain mysterious.

And, as for the promise of a better world,

I can only say that England was merry before,

and all things considered,

I would all things were as they used to be

in times past.

- Your Grace, if I do not have your support...

may I ask if you will act against me?

- I'm not sure if this is any answer, my Lord Hertford.

But I have always been drawn to a phrase used by the French peasants:

"Praise the God of all,

drink the wine,

and let the world be the world."

- Lady Hertford, Your Grace.

- My Lady Hertford.

- Your Grace,

I was summoned here but I have no idea why.

I wonder how I may help you?

- You may help me, my Lady, by telling me the truth.

You were a friend, I believe,

of the heretic Anne Askew, recently burned?

- I was acquainted with her.

- You were more than acquainted, I think.

While she was a prisoner one of your servant, a man wearing a blue coat...

gave her money.

- I desired to make her circumstances more tolerable.

I was only acting out of Christian charity.

I had been informed that those who tortured her,

illegally, had stretched her on the rack

until the strings of her arms and legs were perished.

- But you admit

she was a self-confessed heretic?

You are therefore guilty by association.

- You have a warrant for my arrest?

You will never serve that warrant.

- Why not?

- Because I know your secret.

- What secret, my Lady Hertford?

- You are not such a saint as you appear

are you, Your Grace? You have not exactly

renounced worldly goods... have you?

There are two monasteries in Cornwall.

They were stripped and closed, on His Majesty's orders, and burnt.

Except that they were neither stripped nor burnt,

but their titles and contents were quietly transferred

to Your Grace. Thus, you are a rich man indeed...

but only by embezzling from the King.

I advise you to tear up your warrant,

Your Grace.

- Majesty, Her Majesty the Queen.

- Kate. Come in here.

- Your Majesty.

- I am glad you have come.

You can resolve me of certain doubts.

I wonder, Kate, how much you think

you can learn from reading the Gospels

and other religious books?

- Majesty,

since God has appointed you as Supreme Head of us all,

it is from you that I will ever learn.

- Ah, but that surely is not so!

You have become a doctor, Kate,

to instruct us, as we have seen many times before...

but not to be instructed or directed by us!

- Majesty, I think my meaning has been mistaken

for I have always held it preposterous

for a woman to instruct her Lord.

- And yet,

you seem sometimes to have a different view

of religion than we do.

- Only so that you could correct me!

Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I thought

that talking and discussing helped to ease

the pain and weariness of your present infirmity.

And it encouraged me in my boldness,

in the hope of profiting

from your learned discourse.

I am, I am but a woman,

with all the imperfections natural

to the weakness of my sex,

and therefore, in all matters of doubt and difficulty

I must refer myself

to Your Majesty's better judgment,

as my Lord and head.

- Is that so, sweetheart?

And you made your argument for no worse ends?

Then we are perfect friends again.

- I thank Your Majesty.

- I promise

that I will never doubt you again.

Sweet Kate.

- Majesty.

- Majesty, shall I rescind Your Majesty's order

to arrest the Queen tomorrow?

- Why?

Music.

♫

- What is it, sweetheart?

- Nothing.

I was dreaming.

We were back in Boulogne...

but I let you go.

- I'm here.

- Has the dawn come yet? - Not yet. Not yet.

- I hate the nights.

They make you think of perpetual night.

- Hush, darling.

The dawn will be here soon, and you well again.

- Brigitte... - Yes, my darling?

- I'm so happy.

[Laughter]

- Kate...? - What is this...?

- Lord Chancellor! Why have you come?

- I have come to execute the warrant for the Queen's arrest

and to escort her, and her Ladies, to the Tower.

- You knave!

You arrant knave!

Get out! Get out of my sight!

- Your Majesty, forgive me... - GET OUT!

And take your bastards with you.

- I... I am sorry

the Lord Chancellor should

make such a mistake.

- You don't how little

he deserves your sympathy.

He was not your friend Kate.

- Lord Hertford! - My Lord Hertford!

- Your Grace, I have already explained,

he called me a knave! All manner of things.

- But for whose ears?

Supposing he still wants the Queen to feel falsely secure?

- If it was feigned anger, it seemed very real to me!

My Lords, in the King's absence, Council is called upon

to declare its content with the terms

of the peace treaty with France. All in favour say "aye"

- Aye. - Council is also...

called upon to discuss all arrangements made

for the security and safety of His Highness Prince Edward,

heir to the throne,

and all provisions made for his temporal

and spiritual welfare.

- My Lords, pray,

what induces you to discuss such things now,

when all such provisions are already made

and the Prince is secure at Windsor,

- ...by His Majesty's orders? - Aye.

- My Lord Hertford,

Council is still constituted

to examine such matters, especially since

the King's infirmities give us

all cause to think of the future.

- And it is treason,

my Lord Chancellor, to envisage the King's death!

- Aye! - My Lord, all our concern

- ...is for the Prince. - Your concern?!

Are you forgetting that he is of my blood?

- He is also of the King's blood,

which gives us cause enough to examine those put in charge of him.

And among them, some of whom we find,

like his tutors, to be suspected heretics!

- You talk of heresy! You!

And what are you but a puffed-up porkling of the Pope's?

- My Lord!

- I still say, my Lord Hertford...

that the real truth behind your intentions

towards the Prince and the Crown

must be placed before the King.

- What are you doing? - Take your hands off!

- Your Majesty, Bishop Gardiner desires

an audience with your Majesty.

- Refused.

His Grace has a troublesome nature

and I don't want to see him here ever again.

I desire him to leave my Court.

- Yes, Your Majesty.

Your Grace, His Majesty instructs you to leave Court.

- My Lord Hertford. - Lord Hertford.

- Lord Hertford.

- My Lord Hertford.

- Lord Chancellor. What may I do for you?

- You may forgive me, if you find it possible to do so,

from some past associations, which I now regret.

I have no hesitation in pledging my utter loyalty

to Your Lordship's House,

and I trust in future I can serve you

as faithfully as I have always served His Majesty.

- I am most grateful to you, my Lord Chancellor.

- Your Majesty, Mr. Holbein.

- Mr. Holbein. - Majesty.

- I have a commission for you.

- I am most grateful to Your Majesty.

I assume Your Majesty means a portrait?

- You once painted my father.

Now you will paint me.

- I am deeply honored.

- Sweetheart,

sweetheart,

here is a messenger from His Majesty.

- Your Grace,

His Majesty has heard of your indisposition

and has asked to see you.

- No! That is impossible.

Ask the physicians.

- What shall I tell His Majesty?

- Tell him... I shall come.

- But you can't!

- How can I lie in bed, my love,

when the King of England has summoned me?

Just get them to help me.

[Coughs]

- What are you doing here?

- I have come to see my daughter.

Why should that surprise you, Henry?

You have not always been kind to her.

I have wept so often

to see her alone,

abandoned by her father.

- Is that why you've come back, Katherine,

to chide me for all that I am not?

- She ought to be a long time married by now.

She ought to have her own children.

- Go away, shade.

Go away, Katherine.

- You sent me away before...

though I loved you.

But I was still your wife in God's eyes.

And still am.

- His Grace the Duke of Suffolk.

- Charles.

- Majesty.

- They told me you were ill.

So I had to see you.

- I have a slight fever.

Perhaps Your Majesty should not come so close.

- We've known each other

a long time, a very long time.

- Yes.

And I remember everything.

In fact, I remember

things from long ago

better than I remember yesterday.

I remember Your Majesty's sister so well.

And the Battle of the Spurs!

And when Your Majesty made me a Duke...

God knows why!

- You were my general,

in York and in France,

because I could trust no one else.

And I beg you now Charles,

to trust me.

I have the power to make you well again,

you know that.

They told me you were like to die...

but you won't die.

I forbid it!

Kneel.

By the grace of God,

I, the Eighth Henry,

King of England, Ireland, and France,

Defender of the Faith

and of the Church of England

command you to be healed!

[Priest praying]

- My Lady Suffolk. - My Lady.

- Your Grace. May I say,

on behalf of all His Grace's loyal servants and staff,

that we are as heart-broken and wretched

as Your Grace must be on this unhappy day.

For we all loved His Grace as much as you,

his wife, and son, loved him.

- Thank you.

Your sympathy and loyalty touch my son and I most deeply.

- Madame.

- Requiescant in pace Domini.

Et Lux perpetua luceat eis.

Requiescant in pace.

- [Henry]: He is to be buried at St George's Chapel at Windsor.

At my expense.

- Majesty.

- I tell you this, my Lord Hertford:

as long as Charles Brandon served me,

he never betrayed a friend,

nor ever...

took unfair advantage of an enemy.

Which is more than I can say for anyone else at my Court!

I never thought he would die.

We should talk, my Lord Hertford,

about the arrangements for the Prince's minority...

after I am dead!

- Your Majesty, Mr. Holbein is here.

- Mr. Holbein.

- Majesty, with your permission, I came to show you my work in progress.

- Master Holbein. When you painted my father,

you made his likeness

when he was old, sickly, and ill.

He looked nothing like a King of England,

more like a poor wretch!

A feeble, plain, and dying man.

And now you have done the same for me!

- Majesty, I...

- MR. HOLBEIN! This portrait is a lie!

Do it again!

And get out.

- Why are you here?

- [Anne]: To see my daughter.

She was the only pure thing in my life.

And in my life I neglected her,

since she was only a girl, and I wanted so much to give you a son.

But now I am so proud of her.

Fiercely proud! She is so clever.

And though she is like me in so many ways,

she is not intemperate as I was.

You must be proud of her too, Henry.

- I am. I am very proud of her.

And I know how clever she is.

And I wish that I could love her more.

But from time to time

she reminds me of you...

and of what you did to me.

- I did nothing to you.

I was innocent.

All the accusations against me were false.

I thought you knew.

Poor Katherine Howard.

She lies in the cold ground next to me.

Poor child.

It was not her fault either.

But we were like two moths, drawn to the flame...

and burned.

- Anne, please don't!

- His Majesty, the King.

- [All]: Your Majesty.

- Lady Mary...

Lady Elizabeth...

Kate...

Come here!

I have decided

to send you away to Greenwich.

I will not spend Christmastide

with you this year... or thereafter.

- Why, Your Majesty?

- Kate,

do not question my command.

It is as it is.

- Yes, Your Majesty.

- Mary.

You must be a kind

and loving mother to your brother,

who I leave in this world

a helpless little child.

- Please, father, I beg you,

do not leave me an orphan so soon!

- Mary,

Mary.

Elizabeth.

You are so very young,

but you, too

can look after your brother.

- Yes, Your Majesty. I promise.

- Bless you, child.

Bless you.

Kate.

The time has come for us to bid farewell.

It is God's will.

When I die,

I order these gentlemen

to treat you as if I were living still.

And if it is your pleasure to remarry,

I order that you shall have 7,000 pounds a year

as long as you live for your service,

as well as your jewels and ornaments.

Now go.

- [Jane]: How is my son?

- Jane!

He is well.

I have taken all care of him...

sweet Jane.

And soon, he will be King.

- My poor boy.

My poor child.

- No!

He is the most beloved.

He is my special boy.

- He will die young. - No! No!

- Poor child...

you expected too much of him!

He was only a boy!

Kings, too, are made of clay!

And God forbid you locked him away

from the world, like your father did with you.

- No!

- Don't you understand?

You have killed him!

- No!

Herewith, my Lords, is my testament.

When I am dead,

my Lord Hertford will act as Lord Protector

during Prince Edward's minority.

He will be supported by my Lord Chancellor Risley

and Archbishop Cranmer.

It is my desire

to be buried next to the body

of my true and loving wife, Queen Jane Seymour,

at Windsor.

You shall raise an honorable tomb,

upon which will be our effigies,

fashioned as if we are sweetly sleeping.

- Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Mr. Holbein awaits you in the Chapel.

[Coughing]

[Grunts]

- Master Holbein, it is well done.