Frances Grey

Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk, was born on 16 July 1517 to Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, and Mary Tudor, sister of King Henry VIII. As a niece of Henry VIII and granddaughter of Henry VII, she was part of the Tudor dynasty and close to the royal succession. She married Henry Grey, later Duke of Suffolk, in 1533 and was mother to Lady Jane Grey, Lady Katherine Grey, and Lady Mary Grey. Her court connections, particularly with Catherine Parr, helped position Jane Grey close to the young King Edward VI. Frances's proximity to the throne played a role in Edward's succession plan, though he bypassed her in favour of her daughter Jane.

Frances supported the marriage of her daughter Jane to Guildford Dudley in 1553 and agreed to Jane's brief reign as queen that July. After Jane’s fall and her husband’s execution following Wyatt’s Rebellion in 1554, Frances was briefly imprisoned and then pardoned by Queen Mary I. To distance herself from dynastic ambition, she married her Master of the Horse, Adrian Stokes, in 1555. Frances died on 20 November 1559. Her funeral at Westminster Abbey was the first Protestant service held there. Her tomb and effigy remain in the Abbey today.