While Percy was at court, it became obvious that he was especially anxious to visit one particular lady at the court; Anne Boleyn. What is equally interesting is that Anne was responding favourably to his advances. Perhaps she was interested more for his title than himself, but it seems that they got along quite well and that Percy's attentions were welcome. There were, in fact, rumours that they were secretly engaged, which will prove important later, since this was seen as good as a marriage and it could have been argued that they were "married", even though both parties vehemently denied this later on. What is certain is that it was thought an inappropriate match by the king and his chief aide, the Cardinal Wolsey. When Percy was told at an audience with the Cardinal, he was told curtly to break off the attachment with "that foolish girl" and to presently marry a woman he had been betrothed to years earlier, a Mary Talbot. Percy begged with the Cardinal to reconsider, and that Anne was a good match for him, but was further berated for his insubordination and his father was sent for to "straighten him out." With pressure from all sides, Percy reluctantly agreed and married Mary Talbot soon afterward. That Anne was both thwarted and insulted by the Cardinal was not taken lightly, and she vowed to seek revenge on Wolsey.

How much the king was involved and why he might have been is not certain, but some think that Henry may have already taken an interest in Anne. This is hard to say, since it was only obvious that he was beginning to court Anne around 1526-27, some four or five years later. Anne's anger and behaviour forced her to be sent back to her girlhood home of Hever Castle away from the court, in disgrace. Anne was reportedly even locked in her room at one point in order to stop her from any form of communication with Percy. It seems too, that Percy never got over his love for Anne Boleyn. His marriage was a disaster, and when he became the next Earl of Northumberland, he proved to be ineffectual. He was forced to participate at Anne's trial in 1536, and collapsed soon after the verdict. He died soon after in 1537, a broken man. Even in the midst of all this trauma, Anne seems to have caught the eye of another significant courtier, the famous 16th century poet, Sir Thomas Wyatt.

Here again we are faced with controversy. Ever since this dalliance occurred, people have speculated on the level of intimacy the two cousins had shared. Some go so far as to say that they slept together, though this seems unlikely given Anne's previous track record and her refusal to get involved sexually with the king, another married man, for almost 7 years. What seems more likely is that Wyatt was taken by Anne, and that she refused him. While Anne was staying at Hever, Wyatt was able to visit her often, since the two family estates were in close proximity. Wyatt, however, was married, and although he may have been both dashing and charismatic, he posed no real interest to the ambitious and practical Anne. Anne, must have, however, been flattered by such attention, and Wyatt wrote several poems about her both during and after his pursuit of her. His most famous poem follows, written in about 1532, after it was clear that Anne was Henry's choice of a second wife. It clearly demonstrates his affection for her, as well as his failure in "taming" her. It is also clear that the "Caesar" he describes is none other than King Henry VIII.

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