Think that's the million dollar question, lol!

In all honesty I don't know. I think he was sick of her even before the birth of Elizabeth so as to how long did Henry love Anne I couldn't say. Did Henry love Anne at all?, did Henry know what love was?…..all he was interested in was a living son.

E said:

Eric Ives gives a good answer to this question in his book “the life and Death of Anne Boleyn”  which I really recommend..

I think Anne was the love of his life. Theirs was a passionate love, Henry was a spoiled creature, Anne the only one who would stand up to him. Eric Ives states that there is evidence that Anne's first pregnancy was extremely difficult and that Henry was praying for anything, even a miscarriage to save the life of the mother.

Anne's enemies used the Kings passionate, obsessive love against them.. Henry however, really should have looked at the evidence before striking at Anne. This is what puzzles me. I think that the mixture of wanting the seymour, that Anne was getting older, that Anne was sort of joint ruler all combined and Henry reacted in a rage of self righteous indignation- “all these things I have done for her, and this is how she treats me! She thinks she can do anything!” I think his spoiled petulance wanted to believe her guilty so he could feel wronged, get rid of her and become the sole ruler in England again.

Why did Cromwell lose his head just because he arranged a marriage which was not to the Kings taste? Henry was not stuck with Anne of Cleves.. Henry could not admit he was wrong, but I think he knew Anne was innocent- though he believed the charges initially, and destroyed the person who had brought about his second wife's disgrace..

I agree! Henry obviously loved Anne, no doubt about it. Maybe Cromwell destroyed all proof of Anne's existence so Henry wouldn't be reminded of her and come to regret his decision. I think Henry believed Anne had cheated because his paranoia was fed by her enemies, including Jane. But because Jane gave him a much needed son, he was blinded by the fact.

Funny how he went from quiet wife, to loud wife, to quiet etc, I guess in his case the grass was always greener lol…

Wow. Couldn't agree more, wreckmasterjay. He seems to have been in love with the notion of being in love, and the thrill of the chase. IMO, he had a very immature notion of what love is – he thought it was all flowers and sunshine and didn't realize you have to work on relationships.

After killing Anne, he seems to have accelerated the notion of bailing on a marriage the first time they ran into problems. And that was another thing – they weren't HIS problems, they were his wives'. Guess that happens sometimes when you're raised with a God complex and handed the power of life and death at an early age. Friends, counselors, wives… they all became disposable to him.

And even when he voiced regret later, as with Cromwell, it was still everyone's fault but his own. He never seems to have taken responsibility for his actions and admitted that he'd screwed up and made the wrong decision. And then he wondered in his old age why he wasn't close to people, why he was lonely and mistrusted everyone's motives. Henry – it's because you systematically killed or discarded anyone who cared for you.

wreckmasterjay said:

Henry was like a child wanting a new toy at christmas. He wants and wants and wants and when he gets it he grows bored of it very easily and then wants something else.

Perfectly said, wreckmasterjay. His wives were like a succession of toys he played with, satisfied for a moment, but ends up bored and on to the next newer, shiner object.

I cannot imagine Henry was ever capable of love. He was in love with the thought of love, but no woman ever lived up to the expectations Henry set for his relationships. He seemed to have a idealist mentality of what a romantic relationship was, but was destined to be disappointed when the woman did not fulfill his expectations. There was never a consideration for what KOA, AB, JS, AC, KH, or KP wanted in their marriage with Henry.

It seems Henry was infactuated with Anne, since I am not sold on the idea he was capable of loving her (or any woman for that matter). I don't doubt Anne's love and affection for Henry, since she fought so hard for her marriage. Henry, on the other hand, was quick to accept the worse of the woman he supposedly “loved” without  ever hearing her side of the story. Frankly, if he really loved her, Henry would not have believed any of the rumors about her (but that wasn't going to happen). One could blame a plethora of people for this, but if Henry really loved Anne, he would have sought her out, listened to her, and not disposed of her like a used dishcloth. But, like KOA, Anne fell victim to Henry's miniacal behaviour.