The Constant Princess is a 2005 historical fiction novel told from the point of view of Catherine of Aragon during her years as the impoverished widowed princess of Wales and the early years as Queen Consort of King Henry VIII.
Plot[]
Spain[]
The novel begins in 1491 Grenada as the Moors raid the military camp of Queen Isabella of Castile. The young infanta Catalina watches with adoration as her warrior mother gathers her army and puts out the flames caused by the night raid. Upon her mother’s return, Catalina assures her mother that she was not afraid as she is a Spanish Princess and Princess of Wales. Catalina’s parentage and titles are incredibly important to her, even as a young child, as she prepares for her destiny as Queen of England. The morning after the raid, the Spanish generals suggest retreating due to lack of supplies but Isabella pushes the army onwards to vanquish the Moors from their last foothold in Spain. Isabella resolves their lack of shelter by commanding they build a stone fortification using the natural resources of the barren countryside. Her king, Ferdinand of Aragon acquiesces and begins work on stone structure beneath the cliff were the Moors have held the Red Fort for two centuries. Isabella and Ferdinand keep building in the unrelenting heat and against all odds until they found the siege town of Sante Fe.
A short while later, Catalina comes upon one of the great Spanish lords, Don Hernando Perez del Pulgar, and convinces him to confined in her. Hernando tells her he will break into the Alhambra to worship his Catholicism in the mosque and leave an Ava Maria. Catalina promises not to sleep until he returns but when he doesn’t return it dawns on Catalina that people can fail and be killed even if she believes they have god’s blessing and it puts the first doubts about God’s favour in her mind. Fortunately, Hernando and his friends survived and regale the court with their tale of desecrating the mosque. While taking her children to see the fortifications at Zubia, Queen Isabella is informed that the full Moors army is riding out of the Red Fort in retaliation for Hernando’s desecration. Queen Isabella, unable to flee the oncoming army, takes her children to hide on a roof to see what the army intends to do. A Moor named Yarfe comes to challenge Hernado by throwing the Ava Maria back in prevocational insult. Queen Isabella leads her children in prayer that her greatest champion Garallosco de la Vega will appear to defend them and gives her blessing when he arrives to challenge Yarfe. A short battle ensues whereby Vega kills Yarfe and Yarfe’s death signals the soldiers to pour out from the Red fort. Queen Isabella once again commands her daughters to pray despite their rising panic. Queen Isabella’s composure when faced with the moor’s army is well calculated; Yarfe’s death would be the last battle against the Spanish as the Moors lose all appetite for war and gift the Red Fort, containing the beautiful palace of the Alhambra, to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. With victory over the last of the expelled Moors, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand begin to persecute and banish anyone that won’t convert to the Catholic faith from Spain. Catalina begins sees herself as a princess of the battlefield and firmly believes that she and her mother are favoured by God. Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand make the Alhambra their home and royal court which delights Catalina as she marvels in her surroundings. The luxury and beauty of the Alhambra make a lasting impression on Catalina and the last remaining years of her childhood are happy and tranquil compared to her early life of military campaign.
England[]
The novel resumes with fifteen-year-old Catalina’s arrival in England and her abrupt meeting with King Henry VII of England. As Catalina travels from the coast to London, she must camp overnight and as she is undressing for the night, King Henry barges into her tent despite the resistance of her Spanish servants trying to protect her modesty. King Henry angrily dismisses them as he forces his way into her bedchamber as Catalina just has time to veil her face with a mantilla. King Henry insists that since he’s paid for her then he will inspect her to his satisfaction and is utterly struck by Catalina’s beauty and feels a thud of lust when he imagines what he could do with her. The potency of her beauty and sex appeal (as well as Catherine's icy dignity) cow Henry as he commands her to meet her betrothed his son Arthur. Despite his feelings of arousal, Henry is still dismissive of her Spanish ways and determined that she will do as he commands while in England. Arthur Hovers nervously as he awaits his betrothed. Unlike his father, Arthur is approving of the public reaction to Catalina's progress through England and of her Spanish fashions (opinions that make him a "fool" in his father's eyes). Catalina is at last presented looking “ far more beautiful” and “a million times more haughty” than Prince Arthur had imagined. To his astonishment she is impertinent and cool towards King Henry who is equally as curt and rude towards her as the three of them dine together. The meal is formal and uncomfortable with King Henry’s rudeness bringing out Catalina’s pride though Arthur sees through this to see the nervous young girl in a strange land she truly is and softens towards her. When Arthur privately apologises for their dragging her from her tent, Catalina tells him that she is proud and fearless (though in truth she was frightened and used her determination to be princess of wales to calm her nerves). Over the course of the meal, King Henry admits Catalina is prettier than her portrait (finding her intriguing and still arousing) and Catalina tells them of her rough sea voyage to England. Arthur clumsily admits that his parents forced him to write his letters of courtship to Catalina which earns him a scolding from his father. King Henry requests Catalina to dance for them and finds himself increasingly irritated that such a sensual girl should be put in Arthur’s bed but is comforted by the thought of her impressive dowry and the wealth it would bring to England.