 Cromwell was safe only as long as he retained royal favour.However, the king had found his new wife Anne of Cleves particularly unappealing and as she was no longer of any political use he wanted a divorce.Cromwell realised that a divorce would result in a massive loss of face for him as the promoter of the marriage and its associated political machinations and that it could lead not only to his ruin, but also to the end of the Reformation in England.