Was Anne of Cleves the Original Catfish?

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August 21, 2026

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s impending return to the UK, six years after they exited their roles as working royals, for a life in Montecito, was undoubtedly one of the biggest stories of the week. Still, I find myself here, on a summer Friday afternoon, totally fascinated by a tale dating back hundreds of years. So before the weekend officially begins, let’s go back, waaaay back, to the days of King Henry VIII. We’ll begin in 1539, when King Henry VIII allegedly agreed to marry Anne of Cleves after seeing her face in a portrait painted by Hans Holbein the Younger. But upon meeting his soon-to-be fourth bride in person, he apparently declared, “I like her not! I like her not!” giving way to the pervasive myth that he was tricked into marrying Anne based on the painting (one can only imagine how he’d fare today in the age of AI, FaceTune, and filters). Could there be any truth to this catfishing narrative that seems to have existed for all these years? And where did it actually come from? Fast-forward to the present day, where Vanity Fair’s Eva Wolchover embarks on a mission to find out.

MAGGIE COUGHLAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR

The Portrait of King Henry VIII’s Fourth Wife Comes Into Question   By Eva Wolchover The concept of a catfish, a person who assumes a fake identity online, became popularized with the 2010 documentary Catfish, and the critically acclaimed television show of the same name that came out two years later. But, if left to the former king of England, Henry VIII, the first case of catfishing started with Anne of Cleves, his fourth wife. Rumor has it that King Henry VIII was tricked into marrying his fourth wife after seeing her beguiling portrait, but it may have been a clash of personalities and cultures that doomed their union from the start. Read more

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