On 8 December 1539, Philip visited the court of King Henry VIII of England with the hope of obtaining the hand of the King's daughter, Princess Mary Tudor. This potential match was part of King Henry's plans of an alliance with the Protestant German Princes against the Emperor. For all his intents and purposes Philip does seem to have been genuinely drawn to Princess Mary for herself. They met on the 17th of December in Hertford Castle, where he presented her with a gift and kissed her. Such familiarity gave rise to the belief that the two would wed and the majority of the English court expected a wedding within the coming months. However, King Henry did not allow this match to succeed due to the fact that the Duke was related to queen consort Anne of Cleves (his fourth wife). Surprisingly, given their differing religious views, Princess Mary showed affection towards the Duke, as she kissed him out of court. The duke was later sent back to his land. The plan did not come to fruition. Philip however was not deterred and he visited England three more times, but only once more did he get to see Princess Mary.