On this day in 1533, the first of four days of grand celebrations began in honour of Anne Boleyn’s coronation as Queen of England.

Just two days earlier, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer had formally declared Anne’s marriage to Henry VIII valid. With her coronation set for Whitsunday, 1st of June, the festivities began with a magnificent river pageant on the Thames – one of the most splendid spectacles of Henry’s reign.

At 1pm, a procession of ornately decorated barges set off from Billingsgate. A heavily pregnant Anne joined the procession from Greenwich at 3pm, dressed resplendently in cloth of gold. She was conveyed in a specially decorated barge emblazoned with the royal arms, accompanied by gun salutes and cheers as the procession made its way towards the Tower of London.

Anne entered the Tower through the Byward Tower, where Henry greeted her with great joy. That evening, the king and his soon-to-be queen dined together in her specially prepared lodgings.