My name is Katherine Howard and I was King Henry's fifth wife. I wish that I could tell you that my life was happy, but it was not. Even though I became Queen of England when I was still a teenager, I was beheaded a few months later.

It's true that I was a wild young woman. I loved to flirt with men. My dream was to marry King Henry and become the Queen of England. I realized that King Henry was not a very attractive person. He was much older than me and had to use a cane to walk. He divorced his first wife, had the second wife beheaded, and divorced the third wife. But that didn't discourage me from wanting to marry him.

When I was still a teenager, I managed to get a position at the King's court as a Lady In Waiting. It just so happened that I was a cousin of Anne Boleyn , who had been Henry's second wife. It was at this time that Henry and his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, were having their marital problems. I knew he wasn't happy with her, and I flirted with Henry all the time.

Henry was enchanted with me because I was young and beautiful. Each time I met King Henry, I would shyly smile and bow to show that I was interested in his advances. I was slowly drawing Henry into my web. It wasn't too long after he divorced Anne of Cleves that he called me into his chambers. He gave me a beautiful necklace, which he called, "the rose without a thorn." I could tell that he was in love with me. As he placed the necklace around my neck, I realized that I could be his fifth Queen of England.

I was very excited about being a Queen. It meant I would have everything I wanted, and I would be married to the most powerful man in England. Our wedding took place a few days after Henry divorced Anne of Cleves.

Even though King Henry loved me, I was not in love with him. Henry was 49 years old and fat, so I started flirting with the young men at court. When Henry was busy, I would sneak away to meet with a young lover. One day, about 18 months after our wedding, someone told Henry that I was cheating on him. He told Henry that I was not the faithful wife he thought I was.

Henry became furious and sentenced me to be beheaded for treason. Not only was I sentenced to death, but my lovers were killed as well. So in 1542, after only a few months of being Queen of England, I was beheaded with an axe. Not exactly a happy ending for me.

Map of United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland).