along with edward seymour, earl of hertford, john dudley, viscount lisle, and sir william paget, denny helped to finalise king henry viii's will upon his deathbed in 1547. denny specifically argued to the king on several occasions against the removal of bishop gardiner from the will. denny was himself the man to tell king henry of his coming death, advising the old king "to prepare for his final agony". denny's position gave him both the power to control who saw king henry viii in his last years (in which he spent excessive time in the privy chambers), and the power to influence, through his personal relationship with the ageing king. along with sir william paget, the principal secretary, denny is suspected of having fixed the choosing of the "progressive" appeals, headed by edward seymour.