Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk wed Norfolk's other niece, Catherine Howard, as his fifth wife. As a result of this marriage, for a time, Norfolk enjoyed political prominence, royal favour, and material rewards. However, when Queen Catherine's premarital sexual indiscretions and her alleged adultery with Sir Thomas Culpeper were revealed to King Henry VIII by Archbishop Cranmer, the King's wrath turned on the Howard family, who were accused of concealing her misconduct. Queen Catherine Howard was condemned by a bill of attainder and was later executed on 13 February 1542. Several other members of the Howard family were sent to the Tower, including Norfolk's stepmother,
Catherine Howard the portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger because it was the only full-sized picture available. After Catherine Howard was executed, even the Howard family removed her picture from their family portrait gallery. Debate continues about the identity of the sitter(s) for these portraits, and there is no portrait conclusively known to be of Henry's fifth queen. Most historians believe that a round portrait miniature (shown here)—which exists in two versions by Holbein (Royal Collection and Duke of Buccleuch)—is the only surviving image of Catherine painted from life (in the case of the Windsor version). The historian David Starkey dated it