Every year on the 29th January, a Catholic mass and a wreath-laying are organized at the tomb of Catherine of Aragon, in which the Spanish Embassy, local authorities and the population of Peterborough participate. For one week, the city hosts conferences, recitals and exhibitions to remember the life and work of the English Queen.
The first wife of Henry VIII is especially loved by the English for promoting culture, helping the underpriviledged and supporting the education of women and girls. The charismatic Princess of Wales was Queen of England between 1509 and 1533. As the plaque on her grave reads: “a Queen loved by the English people for her loyalty, devoutness, bravery and compassion.”
As the Counsellor of Culture, Jose María Robles Fraga, pointed out, Catherine of Aragón “was an extraordinary, advanced and cultured woman, who embraced the humanism of her time.”
Catherine of Aragon is one of the most important characters in the historical ties between Spain and the United Kingdom.