Katherine Parr: Henry VIII's wife's portrait and letter go on sale

The painting dates back to the 1540s and is thought to have been commissioned by Henry VIII

A rare portrait of Henry VIII's final wife and queen, Katherine Parr, is to go on sale at auction this summer.

The only known contemporary portrait of the queen is estimated to sell anywhere between £600,000 and £800,000.

A personal letter of Katherine's written to her brother, detailing her marriage to the king, is also up for sale.

Both items date back to the 1540s and will be put on sale by Sotheby's in London this summer.

The portrait, likely commissioned by Henry VIII, was painted in the queen's final years.

The queen is identified by the distinctive crown-shaped jewel worn at her chest, recorded in inventories of her jewellery.

It is thought to have been painted by 'Master John', an artist recorded in the royal Privy Purse expenses of the time.

Who was Katherine Parr?

Katherine Parr remains the most-married English Queen

Katherine Parr was Henry VIII's sixth and final wife.

She met Henry in 1542 when she secured a position in Princess Mary's household.

Despite being in love with another man, Thomas Seymour, Katherine married the king aged 30 at Hampton Court Palace in 1543.

The couple were together for five years, until Henry's death in 1547.

Sixth months later, Katherine wed Thomas Seymour, the brother of Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's third wife.

She died from complications following childbirth a year later in September 1548.

With four husbands across her lifetime, Katherine still stands as the most-married English Queen.

Katherine and Henry's wedding in 1543 was attended by only 18 people

Sotheby's will also be auctioning a private letter of Katherine's written to her brother, William, just days after her marriage to the 52-year-old king.

Written on 20 July 1543, Katherine tells her brother how happy she is to have married the king.

She writes that the marriage brought her "the greatest joy and comfort that could happen to me in this world".

The letter was last sold at auction more than 40 years ago, and it is estimated that it may fetch between £15,000 and £20,000.

'Chequered marriage history'

Gabriel Heaton, Sotheby's specialist in books and manuscripts, told the BBC: "Katherine has often been represented as a nurse to an ailing king but she was a highly eligible widow in her mid-thirties, extremely well educated, fluent in several languages, and with a keen interest in religious reform.

"She understandably felt some trepidation about marrying an aging King Henry, with a history of marriage that was chequered to say the least.

"However, this letter shows her engaging in an external display of delight at her new circumstances.

"Rejecting the king's advances in favour of his former brother-in-law, Thomas Seymour, was unthinkable, and the marriage would undoubtedly bring great benefit to her family."

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