At 4.24pm on 22nd July 2013, the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to an 8lb 6oz baby boy in the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London. This little boy is third in line to the throne, so it’s big news for those in the UK and, in fact, is news being celebrated all over the world – everyone likes a royal baby!
Why am I posting this news on here, a Tudor website?
Well, obviously there are those who will think I should stick to Tudor history and who really don’t want to know about a royal baby (sorry!), but there is actually a Tudor link. This little boy is a descendent of Mary Boleyn, sister of Queen Anne Boleyn. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, descends from Mary Carey (nee Boleyn) through both his paternal and maternal lines, and those who believe that the Carey children were in fact fathered by Henry VIII believe that William also descends from Henry VIII.1 Whatever you believe, this new royal baby has a smidgeon of Boleyn blood and I find that interesting.
On this day in history…
- 1596 – Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, Privy Councillor and Lord Chamberlain, died at Somerset House. It is said that on his deathbed, Elizabeth I offered to give him the title Earl of Wiltshire, a title once held by his grandfather, Thomas Boleyn, but Henry refused Elizabeth’s offer, saying “Madam, as you did not count me worthy of this honour in life, then I shall account myself not worthy of it in death.” He was buried at Westminster Abbey on 12th August 1596 in St John the Baptist’s Chapel, at Elizabeth I’s expense. His tomb is the tallest in the Abbey.
Hunsdon was the son of William Carey and his wife, Mary Boleyn, sister of Anne Boleyn. Mary was mistress to Henry VIII at some point in the 1520s, and some people believe it is possible that Hunsdon was actually fathered by the King.
You can read more about Henry Carey in my article “Mary Boleyn Part Two – The King’s Children?”
Notes
- Alison Weir also lists the Duchess of Cambridge in her list of those who descend from the Careys (p248 of “Mary Boleyn: The Great and Infamous wh*re) and there has been controversy online regarding claims in a Daily Mail article and by Hever historian Anna Spender (cited in Royal baby: Proud mother Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and her Kentish roots) that the Duchess descends from Elizabeth Leighton (nee Knollys), granddaughter of Mary Boleyn.
Henry VIII would have been sooo jealous. As an aside, if indeed he did father the Carey children as well as the Duke of Richmond it is ironic that he had healthy sons but outside marriage only. I doubt if he appreciated it.
So true but I guess everything happens for a reason maritzal
Claire how is that possible that it has a Tudor link what does it mean that thru he’s paternal and Maternal lines I don’t understand. How is it possible ? How did you find out? Kind regards maritzal
Prince Charles is descended from the Careys (through the Queen and Queen Mother) and so was Princess Diana through the Spencers, so Prince William is descended from Mary Boleyn through both his father (paternal line) and mother (maternal line). I hope that makes sense. Alison Weir mentions it in her book on Mary Boleyn and the Queen’s link to the Careys is also mentioned at http://www.genealogymagazine.com/boleyn3.html. Another link of interest is http://fabpedigree.com/willa1.htm
I find so interesting that both sides are related and linked I still find this to make no sense to me to find out that both parents are linked wow do you know if there’s other people that could be related to them via Mary Boleyn and what if mary’s children are indeed he’s. I can only imagine the many people that are out there that say theyare related since back then the marriages were sometimes related to each other I want to know as much as I possibly can about Tudors and the possibility of other families maritzal
Both Henry Carey and Catherine Carey, Mary Boleyn’s children, had very large families and then their children had large families etc. etc. so there are lots of people living today who are descended from Mary. Famous descendents include Winston Churchill, Lord Nelson, Charles Darwin, the Queen and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
So are Henry Carey and Catherine Carey children of Henry VIII?? And if so what are the remifications of that ? And if there not how are they linked to Prince William ? And is it possible to further investigate Mary Boleyn’s children even after so many years? And if they turn out to be Henry’s biliogical children they deserve to be written in the history booksmaritzal
I don’t believe that they are, but others do. See https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/mary-boleyn-part-two-the-kings-children/
The only way of investigating would be to DNA test their remains and check against Henry VIII.
This was so very interesting, and well-researched! I’m, of a mind that at least one of Mary Boleyn’s children had, as father, Henry VIII. And it does not surprise me in the least that the expectation was if a married woman was in a relationship with the King that she would not have ‘marital relations’ with her husband.
Even as he cuckolded Henry Carey, the King expected Carey to smile and abstain from touching his own wife. I’m not sure if ‘double standard’ applies here, or if you’d have to square the double to make it a quad standard. . .
So is it a remote possibility that they were he’s kids after all and can they check through he’s remains and the carey children to find out for sure and if they want to check and do a DNA test. Can anybody request that? Or do they need permission? And who will they have to ask permission too? Maritzal
A nice tie back to an earlier era, and not very surprising that it’s on both sides — it seems like you could flip to any random page of the Dictionary of National Biography and find *someone* who’s descended from Mary Boleyn (since she had 30 or so grandchildren, not very surprising!) I understand the appeal of the idea that her children were really Henry’s, but personally I find it more poetically just that the children of the cast-off mistress and the obscure courtier were able establish a never-failing line, whereas the all-powerful monarch wasn’t able to get so much as a grandchild. Just to show that there are limits to the power even of a Henry VIII :).
It is also interesting to see Edward Seymour and Anne Stanhope’s names included in the lists of Prince William’s great grandparents in the genealogy link above. I’m a big fan of your website though I am not British nor from Europe. I check your website everyday for new Tudor news. Keep it coming Claire!
Prince William is also a descendant of Charles II from 2 of his illegitamate sons. Which means William will the the first king descended from Charles II and will be the first monarch since Queen Anne to be a descendant of Charles I.
Welcome to HRH Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge.
And if he doesn’t like his name when its his turn to be King, he can use another one, as the Queen’s father did, his Great, Great Grandfather.
The last regent to see their Great Grandson who was heir to the throne was Queen Victoria.
It is a great pity Princess Diana didn’t live to see this day, how proud she would have been.
I just hope the media respect his parents privacy now and back off in these early days so they can enjoy those precious moments together as a new family.
Congratulations to the Royal Family.
The royal baby is yet another drain on the public purse. But glad that mother and baby were fine and congrats to Wills and Kate! Congrats to any mother and healthy baby! The present royal family are all connected to the Tudors and the Stuarts although the Sencers are through the bastard line; just as the Tudors were so we keep getting informed.