 The king and queen were not pleased with married life . The royal couple enjoyed periods of calm and affection , but Anne refused to play the submissive role expected of her . The vivacity and opinionated intellect that had made her so attractive as an illicit lover made her too independent for the largely ceremonial role of a royal wife and it made her many enemies . For his part , Henry disliked Anne 's constant irritability and violent temper . After a false pregnancy or miscarriage in 1534 , he saw her failure to give him a son as a betrayal . As early as Christmas 1534 , Henry was discussing with Cranmer and Cromwell the chances of leaving Anne without having to return to Catherine . Henry is traditionally believed to have had an affair with Margaret ( " Madge " ) Shelton in 1535 , although historian Antonia Fraser argues that Henry in fact had an affair with her sister Mary Shelton . 
