Princess Mary - Page 3 of 3
Charles Brandon,
Duke of Suffolk,
by Roger PurkisThe Brandons
had three children of their own: Henry, later Earl of Lincoln; born
in 1516, Lady Frances Brandon; born in 1517, and Lady Eleanor Brandon;
born in 1524. Mary also invited Charles's daughters by his first
marriage to come and live with her.
Both Mary and the Duke played a full part in the courtly diplomacy of the time, taking part in the "Field of the Cloth of Gold" and meeting Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor when he visited England.
The family was visited by tragedy when their only son, Henry, died of the "sweating sickness" in 1527. Mary's troubles increased when Henry fell for Anne Boleyn and began the procedures to divorce Mary's friend Queen Katherine. As a result Mary stayed away from Court as much as possible, straining the relationship between herself and her husband as well. Charles was the perfect courtier, supporting all his desires.
Mary's health had been deteriorating and on the 25th June 1533 she died. She lay in state in the chapel of Westhorpe Hall and masses were said for her in both Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral. She was finally buried in the Abbey of St. Edmund. Two centuries later, her tomb was moved to St. Mary's Church, Bury St. Edmunds. In later years, Queen Victoria gave the church a stained glass window depicting Mary's life, and a tapestry portrait was presented to the church by the late Mrs. Muriel Bennet Waldron.
Mary had one last tenuous connection with the Mary Rose, if only by proxy, both His Royal Highness, Prince Charles, the President of the Mary Rose Trust, and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, are direct descendants of Mary, The French Queen.
Bibliography
- The Princess of the Mary Rose - James Gainey - Angel Press, 1986
- Chronicles of the Tudor Kings - General Editor, David Loades - Garamond Ltd, 1990
- The History of the Mary Rose - Stuart Vine - MRT Web Site, 2007