Lady Mary Grey

Lady Mary Grey, born on 20 April 1545, was the youngest daughter of Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, and Frances Brandon, making her a great-granddaughter of Henry VII and a potential heir to the English throne. She was the sister of Lady Jane Grey and Lady Katherine Grey. Unlike her sisters, Mary is not known to have pursued her claim to the crown, although she remained under close royal watch due to her lineage.

In 1565, Mary married Thomas Keyes, Queen Elizabeth’s sergeant porter, without royal permission. The match—a physically mismatched and socially unequal union—infuriated the queen, who placed Mary under house arrest and confined Keyes to the Fleet prison. The couple never saw each other again. Mary spent years in various forms of custody before being permitted to live independently in 1572. She eventually rejoined court life as a Maid of Honour and was granted a state funeral upon her death from illness on her 33rd birthday, 20 April 1578. She was buried in her mother’s tomb in Westminster Abbey.