Hendon, meanwhile, leads the prince through the crowd toward his lodgings in an inn on London Bridge, then a city unto itself. John Canty, however, intercepts them and tries to take the prince, whom he still believes to be his son, but Hendon sends him away. In Hendon's rooms, the prince acts out his accustomed role and expects Hendon to serve him; Hendon does so, without a protest. As a reward for his help and kindness, Hendon is granted the right to sit in the presence of the king and is made a knight.
In the morning, Hendon leaves while the prince is still sleeping and goes out to buy new clothes for the boy. When he returns, however, the prince is gone, lured away by a boy who is later joined by a ruffian as they head toward Southwark. Although Hendon tries to follow, he loses the trail.
That same morning, Tom Canty is awakened, dressed, and fed; then the Lord Hertford takes him into the throne room, where he must sit through many tedious reports on affairs of state. Although Tom is learning to handle such situations, the Lord Hertford prevents him from making several blunders. In the afternoon, Tom makes good use of an interview with Humphrey Marlow, his "whipping-boy," to learn many of the things he needs to know; from this point on, Tom uses every opportunity to learn, and to remember, important royal matters.
The next two days are similar to the first, and Tom becomes more accustomed to what he must do. On the fourth day, however, the noise of a mob diverts Tom's attention. Looking out the window, he asks what the cause of this is and, after hearing about the trouble, he has the three condemned people brought before him. Questioning them shrewdly and disposing of their sentences decisively, he gains the admiration of all those present; his court also begins to wonder about the so-called rumors of his madness. With the new confidence that his actions have given him, Tom eats the state dinner, before all those who care to watch, without qualm, and without error.
The prince, in the meantime, is lured into an old country barn by John Canty and Hugo, his accomplice. He falls asleep on a pile of straw, and when he awakens, he hears many tales of injustice at the hands of the law. Outraged, he declares such laws should be abolished. This, as well as his assertion that he is the King of England, earns him the mockery of the troop of vagabonds who have joined Canty and Hugo. Forced to travel with these vagabonds, the prince nevertheless refuses to take part in their escapades, and he finally manages to escape from Hugo's custody when he tells a man that Hugo is a thief. He then wanders alone across the countryside, driven away whenever he begs for food or rest, until at last he finds an empty barn. Sleeping that night next to a calf, the prince is awakened by two young children who believe his story about his royal claim and take him to their mother. The woman feeds him and sets him to doing a variety of household tasks. As he is working, however, he sees Canty and Hugo arriving in front of the house, so he runs off toward the woods. There, he makes his way until he reaches a hermit's hut. The hermit, who is genuinely mad, feeds the boy and cares for him, but when he hears that the boy is the King of England, son of Henry VIII, he becomes consumed with revenge; he ties up the prince and is about to plunge a knife into him when Miles Hendon arrives at the door. The hermit manages to lead Hendon away, but, inadvertently, his absence allows John Canty and Hugo to take the prince with them.
Once again, Hugo tries to make the Prince Participate in begging and thieving; the prince however, steadfastly refuses to have anything to do with such activities. Hugo therefore decides to put the prince into the hands of the law, which he accomplishes by snatching a bundle, thrusting it into the prince's arms, and dashing away. The appearance of guilt is enough for the crowd that gathers, and the burliest of them is about to beat the prince when Miles Hendon once again appears. To appease the crowd, Miles and the prince must go before the magistrate. The judge is kindly, and the sentence is short. Hendon then manages to convince the sheriff that the wisest course would be to free the boy, and the two leave, headed toward Hendon Hall, from which Miles has been absent for some ten years.
When they arrive there, Miles's brother Hugh and the Lady Edith, who once loved Miles, deny that Miles is still alive. In fact, Hugh Hendon has Miles arrested as an impostor, and the prince is taken to jail along with him. There, the prince discovers the filthy conditions of his country's prisons, and he hears more stories about the many injustices of English laws. Finally, Miles is sentenced to sit two hours in the pillory; he also takes twelve lashes because the prince once again tries to assert himself. When the two are released at last, they turn back toward London.
Coincidentally, as the prince is returning to London, Tom Canty is rapidly learning to be a king and is preparing for his coronation. On Coronation Day, he rides in a grand procession through London. Riding past Offal Court, he sees his mother, and he denies knowing her; immediately, however, he is stricken with remorse.
The ceremony begins; then, suddenly, just as the Archbishop of Canterbury is about to place the crown on Tom's head, the real prince steps forward and forbids it. Tom affirms the boy's claim. Several inconclusive tests are tried in order to determine the identity of the boys, and finally the location of the Great Seal of England is suggested. With some prompting from Tom, Edward Tudor tells the Lord St. John where the seal is to be found, thus establishing his true right to the throne of England.
When Miles Hendon, who has been separated from the prince, appears outside Westminster, he is arrested and brought before the newly crowned king. Having believed throughout their travels together that the boy was mad, Hendon cannot believe that his young friend, now on the throne, is the same person. To test him, he pulls up a chair and sits in his presence; Edward affirms Miles's right to do so, and he also affirms that he has made Hendon a knight and that, furthermore, Hendon is now a peer of England, Earl of Kent. Later, Tom Canty is made the "King's Ward," and his sisters and his mother are granted lifetime care at Christ's Hospital.
The last chapter ties up loose ends of the plot: Hugh Hendon, though not prosecuted, leaves England and goes to the Continent; the Lady Edith marries Miles; Edward amply rewards those who were land to him, punishes those who were not, and makes reparations to those who suffered from the cruel injustice of English laws. Throughout his short life and reign, Edward Tudor always remembers his adventures and reigns more mercifully because of them.