Henry VIII did not have the same approach to government as Henry
VII had done. Henry VII was very much a person who wanted to
involve himself in the day-to-day running of government – almost
in fear that he would lose control of government if he was not
in as much control as was possible in those days of limited
communication. Henry VIII took a very different approach. He
believed that government could be left to trusted men who once
they knew the king’s wishes would implement them. Therefore,
though Henry VIII was not overly involved in government, his men
were actually carrying out his policies. Henry believed that his
men were honourable and that loyalty would be their guiding
star. Therefore, he did not need to involve himself in
government as his trusted and loyal ministers would do it for
him. Success was likely to be rewarded. Most, if not all, knew
what failure meant. Henry’s ministers knew that there were only
two times in the day when Henry might be available to discuss
policy – around the time each