Thomas More resigned the chancellorship on the 16th May. There was, however, an eight-month delay between the Submission of the Clergy and Henry marrying Anne. This was because Henry was still hoping for some kind of settlement with the Pope, Clement VII, which would stop short of a complete break with Rome. In the summer of 1532 it became known that Francis I (King of France) was about to marry his second son to Catherine de Medici, who was a relative of the pope.
Anne is not made a marchioness as she held the title in her own right. This was usual, in particular as at this stage it was not clear what Anne's status was. It would have been inappropriate to reward a mistress in this way but Anne could not be formally betrothed to Henry all the time he was legally married to Katherine. Both Anne and Katherine were caught in a strange almost limbo state and this had an effect on the entire court.
Henry and Anne at Greenwich
The meeting between Henry and Francis was a clear, if pale, imitation of the much more famous meeting at the Cloth of Gold in 1520. It had a number of clear political aims - 1. to show to the world, particularly the Pope and the Emperor, that Henry and Francis were friends; 2. it had been agreed that two French cardinals should be sent to Rome to announce the new friendship between Henry and Francis and push Henry's case to a successful conclusion; 3.the two cardinals were also to conclude the marriage treaty between Francis' son and Catherine de Medici; 4 and finally these cardinals were to invite Clement to a meeting in France at which it was even possible Henry would be present.
At one level all of this represented a moment of real opportunity for Henry. He had finally secured real foreign support for his campaign and in the proposed marriage between Francis' son and Catherine there was the possibility of direct leverage on the Pope. Indeed Henry later claimed that Francis had promised that he would not agree to the marriage unless Clement granted Henry his divorce. The problem was, however, that none of this was in Henry's control. He was totally reliant on Francis, a man who would certainly betray Henry if it was in his interests. The two French cardinals would almost certainly have been prepared to plead Henry's case in Rome, but only when if it was in the interests of France not England / Henry.
It is worthwhile noting that the proposed meeting between Francis and the Pope did take place in Marseilles October 1533 - but this was too late. Anne's pregnancy fundamentally altered the time-scale that Henry was working within. As soon as she became pregnant he had to move far quicker then the speed of European diplomacy.
'After supper came in the Marchiones of Penbroke, with vii ladies in Maskyng apparel, of straunge fashion, made of clothe of gold, compassed with Crimosyn Tinsell Satin, owned with Clothe of Siluer, liyng lose and knit with laces of Gold: these ladies were brought into the chamber, with four damoselles appareled in Crimosin sattyn, with Tabardes of fine Cipres: the lady Marques tooke the French Kyng, and the Countess of Darby, toke the Kyng of Nauerr, and euery Lady tooke a lorde, and in daunsyng the kyng of Englande, toke awaie the ladies visers, so that there the ladies beauties were shewed, and after they had daunsed a while they ceased, and the French Kyng talked with the Marchiones of Penbrok a space. & then he toke his leaue of the ladies, and the kyng conueighed hym to his lodyng ...'
Richard Gibson produced this mask, but despite the description the amount spent, £11 3s 1d, was small and was paid out of the King's Privy Purse.
It took a considerable amount of time for Henry to travel back from Dover to Greenwich - 12 days in all.
Hall's Chronicle notes that Henry kept the Christmas season of 1532 - 1533 at Greenwich, but gives no details of the entertainments.