Costume Meanings

Divorced
Spikes on their head to represent the spikes of divorces. The spikes also represent crowns, showing how they were royalty before they married Henry, along with the choices of gold and silver to show wealth. They also wear hoop earrings, perhaps as a nod to the royal jewellery they were given.

Beheaded
municipality’s They wear chokers to represent where their head was chopped off when they were executed. They also wear hoop earrings, perhaps as a nod to the royal jewellery they were given.

Died and Survived
Have the costumes most closely alike to real Tudor fashion. They also wear hoop earrings, this could symbolize the circle of life, as well as the royal jewellery they were given.

Catherine of Aragon
Wears gold to represent how long she was Queen (24 years). Gold represents power and prestige as only high-class people in Tudor times were allowed gold clothing, as well as being a colour that Beyoncé (her main "queenspiration") and her dancers wear often. She is also trying to showcase the fact that she is the real queen. The colour of her outfit could also be interpreted as yellow, which is the colour Henry and his new wife Anne Boleyn wore to her funeral, which is debated over whether it was for respect (yellow was the Spanish colour of mourning) or to mock her. The dyed tips often seen in her hair represent how in real life, her hair was a light reddish colour

Anne Boleyn
She wears a checkered top and skirt, with red lipstick because “My sleeves may be green but my lipstick's red”. Her dress is green in reference to "Greensleeves," a poem that was thought to be written about Boleyn by Henry. The dress (with a skirt that bounces around when she moves) and her hairstyle (two spacebuns) also make her look more relaxed because of the fact that the shows writers wanted to turn the assumed perception of Anne Boleyn that she was very serious and seductive and flip it on its head. The real Anne Boleyn always wore a necklace with a "B" initial, which is why she wears a choker with a "B" in the musical.

Her spacebuns weren't intentional, it's just what Millie O'Connell wore at West End Live 2018 because she "thought they were cute".

Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour wears a black-rimmed dress which mimics the black and white design of Tudor houses. In the middle of her dress, she wears white to represent purity, because to Henry she was his "only true wife". Her outfit also resembles a wedding dress, as she 'was the only one he truly loved'. In real life, Henry was buried next to Jane, who was the only one of his wives to receive a queen's funeral. She also wears a small studded crown, which alludes to her presumed meekness and the "doormat" stereotype that history has marked her with. Her outfit is the least revealing out of each of the queens, with a knee-length skirt, most likely symbolising her modesty and traditional beliefs.

Anne Of Cleves
Wears red as a colour on the German flag. Red is the colour of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Anna wears a crop top and a fur jacket. Anne has chains draping down from her shorts, which represent her 'faith to the higher power'. Anna is the only character to wear shorts (other than the blue/teal alternate) which could represent her found freedom (from the flexibility of shorts). Even though Anna's marriage to Henry was annulled, the two became close friends, and Anna ended up living a life of luxury with not a single man around to tell her what to do. Anna of Cleves and Catherine Parr are the only characters not to wear skirts, which may be because they both outlived Henry.

Katherine Howard
Wears an outfit that highlights her body to represent how she was treated like a toy by the men around. The transparent skirt is meant to symbolize how all men saw was her "birds and the bees" appeal and not her personality. Her outfit is pink in reference to her youth, (pink is stereotypically associated with young girls and Katherine was estimated to be around 17 when she married the 49 year-old Henry) as well as her girly personality and pop-style song. It’s also similar to what today’s teenagers wear. She still has long sleeves to show she still wanted to be seen as a mature "lady" and that she wasn't completely vulnerable, almost as if she is trying to protect her modesty.

Catherine Parr
Catherine wears a royal blue jumpsuit because it’s more flexible, and she had to be more flexible to survive Henry. It is also similar to her real style of dress. Her outfit is blue to show her wisdom and intelligence. Her puffed sleeves are similar to Henry's since she inherited most of his belongings when he died. She doesn't wear a skirt, which may be because she outlived Henry (and wasn't a queen at the end of her life). Catherine wears trousers, which may be a reference to how Catherine Parr was a strong feminist and called for female empowerment as women were expected to look and act a certain way due to patriarchal structures in society, as well as a possible play on the phrase "wearing the trousers". Parr is the only one to wear trousers (other than the alternates).

Ladies in Waiting
The ladies in waiting wear a pearl headband which closely resembles the French hoods commonly worn in the Tudor era. Their outfits are black, most likely so they don’t stand out more than the queens and to resemble classic punk outfits. The costumes are decorated with pearls and round studs, possibly a reference to how Jane Seymour required her ladies to wear a large number of pearls before they could appear before her as queen. The ruffs in their outfits were rarely worn in Henry’s reign but were common in the reign of Anne’s daughter, Elizabeth.