A fluffy red hat with an ostrich feather which was allegedly thrown in triumph by Henry VIII after his army won a siege in 1544 is set to go on display after being bought for £12,000.

The Tudor headwear is set to go on show at Hampton Court Palace in Richmond, Greater London, after the curators acquired it from descendants of Nicholas Bristowe - the courtier who apparently caught it after it was hurled into the air by the king.

It is thought Mr Bristowe, who was the king's clerk of the wardrobe, held on to the hat and passed it down through his generations. It has been in his family for the last 470 years.

The fluffy red hat, which comes complete with an ostrich feather, will go on display at Hampton Court Palace after being bought for £12,000. It is thought to have been caught after being thrown by Henry VIII in 1544

It is believed King Henry VII threw the hat in the air in triumph after learning that the fortified city of Boulogne had surrendered to his army, which he led in France in 1544. It was said to be caught by Nicholas Bristowe

The hat, which is made from silver and silk, is now set to go on display at Hampton Court after Historic Royal Palaces, which runs the palace, splashed out £12,000 for it.

Eleri Lynn, dress creator for Historic Royal Palaces, said there was no proper evidence to suggest the hat was ever worn by Henry VIII. However, she said the Bristowes' story was acknowledged in a document in the 19th Century.

She said it was quite possible that Nicholas Bristowe did obtain the hat from the king, as he was present at Henry VIII's side when he learned that the fortified city of Boulogne had surrendered to his army, which he led in France in 1544.

Ms Lynn told The Times: 'It's really tempting to believe it. As a historian you can't say it's Henry's hat, but on this occasion I can't say that it's not because this courtier was so well connected.

'There's every possibility that Henry did throw this hat up into the air and that Nicholas Bristowe caught it.

'We have evidence that it was documented in the family from before the Victorian era, which is great, because the Victorian era is when fakes really started rolling out.'

The hat will go on display at Hampton Court Palace (pictured) after the palace's curators bought it for £12,000

The Siege of Boulogne took place between 19 July and 18 September 1544, during the third invasion of France by Henry VIII. It came to an end after the British dug tunnels underneath the citadel’s walls, forcing the French to surrender.

It is thought that upon learning of this victory Henry VIII threw the hat into the air, which was then caught by Bristowe. Records confirm that the courtier was in Boulogne at the time of the siege, making the tale a real possibility.

The fluffy hat comes complete with a green ostrich feather, a silver-braid button and features small holes all around the edge which is where the jewels would have sat.

The accessory was handed to London auctioneers Christie's in 2007 for £100,000 but it failed to reach its reserve price.

It will now go on display to members of the public at Hampton Court in 2016, after it has undergone conservation work.