Pub landlord getting it in the neck for doing what Henry VIII didn’t dare do — removing Katherine of Aragon’s head
POSH residents of a Georgian market town are furious that the landlord of their local pub has done what Henry VIII didn’t dare do – and removed Katherine of Aragon’s head.
For centuries the pub sign outside the Queen’s Head in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, proudly displayed a portrait of the Tudor king’s first wife, who was imprisoned in a castle just down the road.
But patriotic landlord Richard Hammond, 65, angered locals when he replaced it with a giant photograph of King Charles to mark his Coronation last year.
Now he has been inundated with demands to reinstate the Spanish queen, who always refused to accept that Henry had annulled their marriage so he could wed Anne Boleyn.
Members of the town’s Preservation Society plan to discuss the matter at their next meeting in September.
Resident Johnny Wilkinson, 54, said: “If he gets away with this, next the blighter will be trying to change the pub’s name to the King’s Head!”
Adam Lauder, 39, said: “By removing Katherine’s head, this man has done what Henry VIII never dared do. We want our old Queen back.”
And local councillor Stephen Addy, who once dressed up as Henry VIII for an Aragon Day pageant in the town, joked: “This could lead to civil war.”
Former bricklayer Richard, who took over the pub 15 years ago, admitted: “Although my regulars don’t seem to mind, there have been complaints from some people.
“One well-dressed elderly woman accosted me while I was outside watering my hanging baskets.
“She waved her walking stick rather menacingly, saying ‘This is Aragon country, young man. You must put the old queen back’.
“I’d never seen her before – she certainly wasn’t one of my regulars – but I explained that I was still celebrating the coronation of King Charles III and the nation should be proud of him.
“I don’t want to offend anybody but I’m an out-and-out royalist and don’t care who knows it.”
Ampthill Town Crier Kelvin Horton, who carries the Flag of Aragon on his scroll, said: “Although I understand people’s point, I’ve no objection to the landlord paying homage to our new king.”
It’s not the first time Richard has been in trouble over his controversial pub sign.
Following Prince William’s wedding in 2011, he cheekily replaced Katherine with a photograph of bride Kate’s sister Pippa Middleton showing off her shapely bottom.