But Jane dies and is unable to provide one. The question that dominates his reign is, which woman will do it? And then when his third wife Jane Seymour finally gives him one, he realises he needs another – a spare. And that thing is a male heir to succeed him,” says Mantel. “The frustrating thing for Henry is that though he and his ministers, and men in general, apparently have all the power, only a woman can give him the thing he wants. “There’s definitely ambition for England to take a greater role in Europe, not a lesser role.” The pressures of being a royal heir – or a “spare” He was multilingual, cosmopolitan and he knew that trading relationships with Europe were crucial. However, unlike government today, Cromwell was keen to keep continuity, says Mantel. “This is the trading negotiation that’s following the great break,” says Marr. For this reason, and because England didn’t have the military power to defend herself alone, Cromwell seeks a confederacy with the German princes, who have also broken with Rome.

He could no longer source vital supplies from loyal Catholic countries like Italy or Spain. Just as we have split from the EU, Henry had recently broken with the Roman Catholic Church, ostracising the kingdom from much of Europe. “He’s terrified of being laughed at,” says the author. In many ways, these are challenges that our modern leaders still face.Īnd like celebrities and public figures today, he’s terrified of being publicly shamed – in Henry’s case because of his sick, aging body and impotency. “One of the things that afflicts him is lack of absolute power, because he has parliament to answer to, he has rebellious commons, he has lack of infrastructure, difficulty of communications,” says Mantel. He may be the King, but that doesn’t mean he feels secure. Like our leaders today, Henry is vulnerable. “Dominic Cummings eat your heart out.” A vulnerable leader Cromwell is in some ways the ultimate political advisor. “If you want to be in Boris Johnson’s cabinet, or if you want to serve Donald Trump, then reading this book or reading the trilogy would be a very, very good way to start,” says Marr. He is even writing something he calls the “Book of Henry” – an instruction manual for those who come after. “He’s used that dangerous closeness to observe Henry: every blink,” says Mantel. He’s also extremely close to his boss – the King.

The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel