if your rigour does not forbid me...

HOW FUCKING DIFFICULT IS IT TO NOT HUMILIATE A PRINCESS AT THE GODDAMN DINNER TABLE

I want to preface this with I am not diminishing Anne's femininity, she was very feminine but knew how to use her masculine side too.

In the list of Henry's ministers and their influence, we clearly include Anne in between Wolsey and Cromwell with some coinciding of More, and this is for a large period of time. Anne clearly was able to occupy the masculine sphere and act independently with the same freedoms as one of Henry's male chief ministers would. Even when Wolsey was in his final glory days and in his descendency Anne was privy to conversations between the King and his then chief minister while slowly becoming his successor.

When I said that initial comment, Anne was the only wife Henry initially had no qualms about occupying and allowed and fostered this masculine side of Anne to be present until the full ascendence of Cromwell where the traditional norm went back in place of Henry's wife and minister being two separate roles.

After all, there is also a lot of masculine iconography and objects that are associated with how Henry treated Anne in her rise as Queen Consort, she was created a peeress in her own right with a title related to his paternal line not his maternal line (and we can see both the feminine and masculine versions of the title were used), she was crowned with St Edwards Crown and St Edwards Chair something only King Regnants were allowed to use.

Yes, other wives may have occupied a masculine side but as you said now and then, and arguably when either Henry was away with the wife at the time acting as regent or when they were in Henry's very very good books. None as long as Anne was and not as successfully without outer influences, part of this was she was able to balance Henry's feminine side as well while still making him feel like a man (an awful sentence I know I apologise).