English Royalty. Mary was the youngest child of Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk and his wife Lady Frances Brandon. She was the youngest sister of Lady Jane Grey and a great niece of King Henry VIII. Mary was described from a very early age as being "crooked and deformed". After the execution of her sister and father in 1554, Mary and her remaining family enjoyed high favor in Queen Mary's court. Mary fell in love with Thomas Keyes, a royal gatekeeper, and married him in secret on 10 August 1564. As a royal with a claim to the throne, she required Queen Elizabeth's permission to marry. Elizabeth, as she had already done to her sister Catherine, exiled the couple from court. Mary was sentenced to house arrest while Thomas Keyes was sent to the harsh Fleet Prison. They were only together as man and wife for a very short time. During her imprisonment, Mary's sister Catherine died leaving her, under the terms of Henry VIII's will, heiress presumptive to the throne. Keyes was released from prison, but due to the ill treatment he received, his health never recovered and he died in 1572. Mary was released from her exile shortly after her husband's death. Possessing next to nothing, she went to live with her stepfather Adrian Stokes, her late mother's second husband. Her death at the age of 33 went almost unnoticed by the court.
English Royalty. Mary was the youngest child of Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk and his wife Lady Frances Brandon. She was the youngest sister of Lady Jane Grey and a great niece of King Henry VIII. Mary was described from a very early age as being "crooked and deformed". After the execution of her sister and father in 1554, Mary and her remaining family enjoyed high favor in Queen Mary's court. Mary fell in love with Thomas Keyes, a royal gatekeeper, and married him in secret on 10 August 1564. As a royal with a claim to the throne, she required Queen Elizabeth's permission to marry. Elizabeth, as she had already done to her sister Catherine, exiled the couple from court. Mary was sentenced to house arrest while Thomas Keyes was sent to the harsh Fleet Prison. They were only together as man and wife for a very short time. During her imprisonment, Mary's sister Catherine died leaving her, under the terms of Henry VIII's will, heiress presumptive to the throne. Keyes was released from prison, but due to the ill treatment he received, his health never recovered and he died in 1572. Mary was released from her exile shortly after her husband's death. Possessing next to nothing, she went to live with her stepfather Adrian Stokes, her late mother's second husband. Her death at the age of 33 went almost unnoticed by the court.
Bio by: Kristen Conrad
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