When Aston Villa won the Europa League recently, the focus was less on the football than on the Prince of Wales bawling ‘Sweet Caroline’. And while images of Wills bouncing in his box and cheering his favourite team wouldn’t seem to connect to a Tudor court painter, they probably wouldn’t exist without him.

This year marks 500 years since Hans Holbein came to London and invented royal image-making at a stroke. The German-born artist’s vision of Henry VIII – legs apart, shoulders wide and with a codpiece the size of a prizewinning marrow – was an instant hit and remains the most famous image of our most famous king. More than that, it set a trend.

Ever since, image-making has been as much a tool of the royal trade as throne, crown and sceptre. Henry’s portrait was partly necessity: his were restive times, due largely to the way he ran things. Holbein’s terrifying image, copied in vast numbers and hung in every town hall, would have certainly helped show who was in charge.

Holbein’s Henry VIII was an instant hit and remains the most famous image of our most famous king

Holbein’s Henry VIII was an instant hit and remains the most famous image of our most famous king

Five hundred years later, William is also facing difficulties, due largely to his uncle Andrew. He too is using imagery to gain the upper hand. As he limbers up to succeed his father, he is keen to appear a man of the people. Someone who shares in their joys and sorrows. A husband and dad who knows about sticky hands on car seats as much as about homelessness, illness and poor refereeing decisions.

The Windsors have always been good at this. The dynasty that – trading under that name – started with George V is the only one to rival the Tudors as brilliant visual manipulators. As a direct result, they are the only British royal dynasty who comes close to Henry VIII and co in popularity, or are catnip on a similar level to broadcasters, filmmakers, historians and authors.

As an author who has written novels about both the Windsors and the Tudors, I’m interested in........

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