Is Queen Elizabeth Related to Mary Boleyn? The Surprising Truth

Queen Elizabeth II is the current monarch of the United Kingdom and the head of the Commonwealth of Nations. She is also the longest-reigning British monarch in history, having ascended the throne in 1952. But did you know that she has a surprising connection to one of the most famous and controversial figures of the Tudor era, Mary Boleyn?

Mary Boleyn was the sister of Anne Boleyn, who famously became the second wife of King Henry VIII and the mother of Queen Elizabeth I. Mary was also one of the king’s mistresses for an unknown period of time, and it has been rumored that she bore two of his children, although he never acknowledged them as his own. Mary was also said to have been a mistress of King Francis I of France, another powerful and notorious ruler of the 16th century.

So how is Queen Elizabeth II related to Mary Boleyn? The answer lies in their shared ancestry through Mary’s descendants. Here is a brief overview of the line of descent from Mary Boleyn to Queen Elizabeth II:

Mary Boleyn and William Carey

Mary Boleyn married William Carey, a courtier and a distant cousin of Henry VIII, in 1520. They had two children, Catherine and Henry, who were both born during Mary’s affair with the king. Some historians have speculated that Catherine and Henry were actually Henry VIII’s illegitimate children, but there is no conclusive evidence to prove or disprove this claim.

Catherine Carey and Sir Francis Knollys

Catherine Carey married Sir Francis Knollys, a prominent politician and soldier, in 1540. They had 14 children, one of whom was Lettice Knollys.

Lettice Knollys and Walter Devereux

Lettice Knollys married Walter Devereux, the 1st Earl of Essex, in 1565. They had five children, one of whom was Robert Devereux.

Robert Devereux and Frances Walsingham

Robert Devereux was the 2nd Earl of Essex and a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I. He was also involved in several rebellions against her and was eventually executed for treason in 1601. He married Frances Walsingham, the daughter of Sir Francis Walsingham, the queen’s spymaster, in 1590. They had three children, one of whom was Frances Devereux.

Frances Devereux and William Seymour

Frances Devereux married William Seymour, the 2nd Duke of Somerset, in 1610. They had nine children, one of whom was Jane Seymour.

Jane Seymour and Charles Boyle

Jane Seymour married Charles Boyle, the 3rd Viscount Dungarvan and later the 2nd Earl of Burlington, in 1656. They had four children, one of whom was Richard Boyle.

Richard Boyle and Dorothy Savile

Richard Boyle was the 3rd Earl of Burlington and a famous architect. He married Dorothy Savile, the daughter of William Savile, the 2nd Marquess of Halifax, in 1721. They had three children, one of whom was Charlotte Elizabeth Boyle.

Charlotte Elizabeth Boyle and William Cavendish

Charlotte Elizabeth Boyle married William Cavendish, the 4th Duke of Devonshire and later Prime Minister of Great Britain, in 1748. They had seven children, one of whom was Dorothy Cavendish.

Dorothy Cavendish and William Cavendish-Bentinck

Dorothy Cavendish married William Cavendish-Bentinck, the 3rd Duke of Portland and also Prime Minister of Great Britain, in 1766. They had nine children, one of whom was Lord Charles Bentinck.

Lord Charles Bentinck and Anne Wellesley

Lord Charles Bentinck was a lieutenant-colonel in the British Army. He married Anne Wellesley, the daughter of Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley and a niece of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, in 1806. They had four children, one of whom was Reverend Charles Cavendish-Bentinck.

Reverend Charles Cavendish-Bentinck and Caroline Louisa Burnaby

Reverend Charles Cavendish-Bentinck was a clergyman and a great-grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II. He married Caroline Louisa Burnaby, the daughter of Edwyn Burnaby and Anne Caroline Salisbury, in 1859. They had three children, one of whom was Cecilia Nina Cavendish-Bentinck.

Cecilia Nina Cavendish-Bentinck and Claude Bowes-Lyon

Cecilia Nina Cavendish-Bentinck married Claude Bowes-Lyon, the 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, in 1881. They had ten children, one of whom was Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and King George VI

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, also known as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, married King George VI, the second son of King George V and Queen Mary, in 1923. They had two children, one of whom was Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip

Queen Elizabeth II married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, who later became Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947. They have four children, eight grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren.

As you can see, Queen Elizabeth II is related to Mary Boleyn through a long and complex line of descent that spans over five centuries and involves some of the most influential and notorious figures in British history. According to Wikipedia, Queen Elizabeth II is the 13th cousin once removed of Mary Boleyn. This means that they share a common ancestor who is 14 generations away from the queen and 13 generations away from Mary. That common ancestor is John Howard, the 1st Duke of Norfolk, who was the grandfather of Mary and Anne Boleyn’s mother, Elizabeth Howard.

So the next time you watch a movie or a TV show about the Tudors, remember that you are watching the distant relatives of the current British monarch. And if you ever meet Queen Elizabeth II in person, you can impress her with your knowledge of her family tree and her connection to Mary Boleyn. Who knows, maybe she will invite you to Buckingham Palace for tea!