MY apologies to the following individuals for neglecting to celebrate their birthdays in a timely manner:

1.) Anne of Cleves was born on September 22, 1515. She was perhaps the wisest of Henry VIII's wives in the sense that she cut her loses quickly and readily agreed to a divorce from Henry, a man whom she clearly didn't like. She lived a very comfortable life on the settlement from him. Smart lady!

2.)Richard III and Lady Jane Grey were both born on October 2, Richard in the year 1452 and Jane in the year 1537. Ah Richard! Dear sweet Uncle Dickon! A man who went from being a very trusted and loyal individual to murderous tyrant. His hatred for the Woodvilles blinded him with so much rage that he actually believed it was his duty to disinherit and imprison his nephews, two innocent babes who had never perpetrated any kind of wrong. I won't go so far as to say he ordered their deaths because there is no proof but the fact remains that the deed was carried out on his watch. Some people believe that it was Buckingham who was responsible and then there are the real loonies who think Henry Tudor ordered them killed, that the boys actually survived into his reign two years after they disappeared. Talk about grasping any straw to vindicate Richard! The bottom line is this: Would YOU want Richard III for an uncle to YOUR children?

Lady Jane Grey. How can one not like her? Sweet but tragic. The poor little thing was caught up in a whirlwind of political intrigue not of her own making but ended up paying the ultimate price. I often wonder if at any point after she was coerced into being Northumberland's pawn if she actually believed in what she was doing? Intellectually Jane was very advanced for her years, a scholar of the first degree but when it came to the real world of politics she was woefully ignorant. She almost made it through though. Queen Mary, despite her harsh exterior, had a compassionate heart for her relatives and was prepared to forgive Jane until the second conspiracy happened, of which Jane was totally innocent. I'm sure Mary was devastated that she finally had to kill her cousin.