This is an essay as told, based on a conversation with David Smith, a 24-year-old British resident, about his career as an impersonator of Henry VIII. It has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider confirmed his previous and current employment. Smith declined to share his winnings.
I was eight years old when I saw a portrait of Henry VIII in all his regalia. I was fascinated by it.
My passion grew from there: I spent my childhood reading my mother’s encyclopedias, buying Tudor books and watching documentaries about Henry VIII and his six wives.
I studied the Tudors in primary school and wanted to become a history teacher, but my local high school did not teach Tudor history.
I ended up leaving school at 17 and went to work in a factory and then as a delivery driver. During this time, my love of history still lingered in the back of my mind.
That all changed when I found a Henry VIII outfit on Facebook Marketplace for £20 ($25) in 2021. I’ve always wanted to own one, whether I wore it or not.
I decided to post a photo of me wearing it on Facebook. Immediately, messages came flooding in telling me I looked like the young king. A historical costumer saw the post and directed me to a re-enactment group looking for a young Henry.
I started my imitation with the group on a voluntary basis. During the week, I was at the factory, then on the weekends, I self-funded my trips around the country to different palaces. The other re-enactors and I would travel to heritage sites like Penshurst Place (a site once used as Henry VIII’s hunting lodge), where we would perform and walk around the park with our character, educating people about the You sleep.
After a year, the high travel costs and exhaustion hit me, but I didn’t want to give up being Henry. I decided to start doing it as a paid job: I created a professional email address and a Facebook page and started getting in touch with historical palaces and workshops myself.
“You must believe that you are the king”
My current job is a far cry from my career as a delivery driver which I ended last year.
I now work five days a week visiting schools, palaces and other heritage sites. I adapt to the wishes of the place: I do historical lectures, live reconstructions of historical events and even Tudor dancing.
My job could be described as half teacher, half method actor. Almost every time I go to a school, a child asks me: “If you are Henry VIII, how are you still alive?” » I usually answer, “Well, God wants it that way,” and somehow I have to believe that myself.
To do your job well, you must believe that you are the most important person, that you are the king. You must believe that you have been chosen by God. All of this definitely gives you a confidence that stays with you.
Smith with an Anne Boleyn impersonator at Hatfield House. David Smith
Recently I attended a three-course banquet at the Old Palace of Hatfield House, an estate once owned by Henry VIII and now owned by the Marquess of Salisbury. Visitors could dine with me and Anne Boleyn for around £80 ($100) per person.
The entire experience was as historically accurate as possible. My hands were washed for me, my food was cut for me, my cup was refilled whenever I needed it and everyone had to bow and curtsey to me.
Of all the events I attended, this was the one that made me feel the most like Henry VIII. I felt what he must have felt being there and being served.
Becoming Henry
Smith with a Tudor re-enactment group. David Smith
Some people mistakenly see Henry as an obese and tyrannical despot of a king. Although this reflects the last years of his life, when he ordered the execution of thousands of people, it was not always this way. He was also a scholar and a well-mannered leader.
It’s amazing the excitement you see on children’s faces when you go into schools, and they get to see this historical figure come to life.
Even though I am not a traditional teacher, I still consider myself one. I get all the good times – meeting new students and sharing my passion for history – without the stress that teachers face.
After my visit, a school sent letters home to me: 30 letters from children expressing how much they enjoyed my visit and sharing all the facts they remembered. It was a particularly moving moment.
Life outside of Henry
Unlike my old job, I have to take my role home with me.
My beard is cut the same way Henry had his and although I am naturally blonde, I dye my hair and beard ginger to improve the resemblance.
It really takes me a lot of time. Every two weeks I travel about 70 miles to practice traditional Tudor dancing with a group. And even when I come home from a long day at work, all I want to do is get right back to learning about the Tudors.
A lot of my income goes back into the business. Each of my outfits is custom made by historical costume designers to my exact measurements. Prices start at £2,000 ($2,500) – and that’s without all the extras that come with it: the rings, the function chain, the lockets. I currently own two of these outfits.
Raising the money takes me time, but I pride myself on my precision. I live and breathe it.
Most of my small circle of friends also work in pageantry and they understand that this lifestyle is an integral part of who I am. My name is saved as Henry in most of their phones.
Even if my career may seem very different from that of others, I still have the same concerns and the same ambitions.
Trying to “make it” in any industry requires a certain level of sacrifice, whether it’s on your time or your relationships. Perhaps the hardest part is the fear of missing out on bookings, as with any freelance job.
But all that matters to me is having enough to live on and continuing to invest myself in this passion. I’m not really interested in buying a house or luxury cars, I just want to earn enough to buy Tudor books and add them to my Tudor portrait collection.
I will never be able to return to a “normal” job, I will continue to do it, even if one day it means having to take a pay cut.
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