King size! Henry VIII's armour reveals he had a 52in girth - for which he paid a terrible price

Daily Mail (UK) ^ | 02nd February 2009 | Philippa Gregory

[PotatoHeadMick]

He was an immense figure in the history of England. Just how immense, however, has finally been revealed after a study of his body armour exposed Henry VIII's extraordinary vital statistics.

It found that by the end of his reign the 6ft 1in Tudor king had a whopping 52in waist and 53in chest - enough to make him severely obese by modern standards.

The study by the Royal Armouries coincides with a forthcoming exhibition of his supersized battle dress at the Tower of London to mark the 500th anniversary of him taking the throne. Here, Philippa Gregory reveals the heavy price he paid for being a very tubby Tudor.

[Ole Okie]

Hope that roof had some sturdy timbers beneath it.

He tested the structural integrity by walking on the roofs.

[Ole Okie]

I think that was William the Conquerer whose body exploded in his coffin. And... ewwwwwwww

So everybody there said "That's old Billy Boy all over"?

I hadn't heard this particular anecdote.

[colorado tanker]

The Tudor period is fascinating. Only because of the gift for government of the Henry's and Elizabeth's brilliance did England not fight it's Civil War at this time.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

heals = heels

[Larry Lucido]

Well, it’s hard to have armor “taken in.”

[Crusher138]

Would you agree that a man 6’1” and 53/52 would be a great deal more than 280?

6' tall and 255. I have a 42" waist and 50" chest.

I would guess that an inch in height and 10" of belly girth would add more than 25 pounds to my weight.