Anne of Cleves Pia Girard After Jane Seymour's death, Henry VIII remained single for over two years. Thomas Cromwell, however, had begun making inquiries about a foreign bride. The split from Rome had left England isolated and vulnerable; a new bride could secure an alliance. Henry sent painters abroad to create images of the various candidates in foreign courts. In 1539 Hans Holbein was sent to the court of the Duke of Cleves to paint his two sisters: Amelia and Anne, who Henry decided to wed. By the time the marriage took place on January 6, 1540, Henry was already looking for ways to get out. He did not find his new bride the least bit attractive. With tension rising between the Duke of Cleves and the Empire, the marriage had lost his political motivations as well. In July 1540 Anne testified that the match had not been consummated and that her previous engagement to the son of the Duke of Lorraine had not been properly broken. The marriage was over. Afterward Anne accepted the honorary title of 'King's Sister' and property that included Hever Castle, formerly the home of Anne Boleyn. She died in 1557 and is buried in Westminster Abbey. Pia Girad studies acting in London. This is her first television role.