Order of the Garter

>>>>Aside from the Sovereign and Prince of Wales, there can be only 24 Knights Companion (or Ladies, who were excluded by Henry VII in 1488 and only reinstated with the admission of Queen Alexandra in 1901) at any one time.<<<< I'm probably showing my ignorance here---again! The above is taken from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1521671/Garter-ceremony-will-be-a-real-family-affair.html Does anyone know why Henry excluded Ladies? I know that at the Feast in 1488, Henry's queen, mother and other ladies were present in their Garter robes, so they weren't excluded from the processions and so on. Does the passage simply mean he prevented any further ladies from being admitted? If so, why? Was he a misogynist? Was he maybe endeavouring to placate misogynists among his supporters? One wonders what Margaret Beaufort thought of this departure. Or perhaps she wasn't an early suffragette. As you can see, this action of Henry's has me wondering. Sandra =^..^=