The seven-episode miniseries Mary & George is heating up screens across America. It has a star-studded cast which includes Julianne Moore, Scottish actor Tony Curran, and up-and-coming starlet Nicholas Galitzine. While the series itself is based on the book The King's Assassin: The Fatal Affair of George Villiers and James I, the true story behind the series is nearly as sexual and scandalous as you think!
Julianne Moore plays Mary Villiers, a rather average English woman who raises her son George to use his sexuality to climb the ranks of the British royal court. Through her behind-the-scenes puppetry and her son's seductive work, George ends up being one of the most favorite sexual partners of King James I. Again, this is true!
British playwright D.C. Moore (of Killing Eve fame) is the showrunner for this series. He told Time Magazine, “There's not really any big bits of popular entertainment or art that have dealt with this story—either James or Mary and George. It's ironic to use the phrase, given the nature of the show, but it's virgin territory.” We're not virgins anymore!
So let's talk history!
King James I
King James I ruled after his cousin Elizabeth who was a beloved monarch. James had big shoes to fill. He ruled from 1603 to 1625. He continued to sponsor theater, including Shakespeare, and he is the King James of King James' Bible. He was also super duper horny.
He was known throughout the court to have many "companions" and several of them were male. We would likely call King James I bisexual, fluid, or pan today. He openly courted men and women, even kissing men in court. While he spoke against sodomy (boooo) and was married to Anne of Denmark, he clearly had different views behind closed doors.
Robert Carr was his companion - or "favorite" a term that meant a companion to the monarch who held political influence (thus the film The Favourite) - until 1616 when George stepped in. George became his newest favorite and Carr fell out of favor. According to the King's letters, he was very loving to both of these men (and to two other men, Richard Preston and his first love Esmé Stewart).
He has MANY letters that show how much of a romantic the king was. He adored these men with the fervor of a school crush. But Carr fell out of favor when he fell for a woman and scandal erupted with her, causing Carr and his new lady to be sent to The Tower of London.
George Villiers
Mary knew that her son was special and that she wanted them to live a better lifestyle. She thus used her handsome son to her advantage. The two of them worked briefly in the king's country home where George was responsible for fetching the King's drinks. His good looks and charm caught the king's horny eye.
George replaced Carr as the King's newest "companion". King James took an instant liking to George because of his good looks. The King fell head-over-heels for George and created a new title for him: The Duke of Buckingham. "Duke" is a title rarely given to a non-royal. The current Lord and Lady of Buckingham have this gay love affair to thank for their luxurious lifestyle.
He was also a good dancer and you know what they say about good dancers! Mary made sure that George took dance classes as a child and it paid off. He wasn't the most educated young man, but if you're hot and you move well then you don't have to be. George proved that! King James described his lover as being "as beautiful as a hunting leopard".
George married a noblewoman and had four children with her, but that never stopped George from getting into the King's bed.
Life After James - Possible Spoilers Below!
James died in 1625. There were rumors that George poisoned him, but that has never been proven. The new king, King Charles I, kept George around as a confidant. Their relationship had begun well before James' death with the two of them essentially ruling in James' place during the final year before his death.
What was their relationship? It isn't as confirmed as the other. We know that the two loved to gossip about enemies! We also know that the two went to Spain to negotiate Charles' marriage and it went very poorly - with some rumors that the Spanish nobles knew of some gay relationships and disapproved - that George and Charles returned to England to convince James to go to war with Spain. Not the best public policy.
As you can probably guess, the public hated George. They blamed him for some bad public policy (like I said, he wasn't bright). George was betrayed by a friend, John Felton, and stabbed to death in 1628. London celebrated his death, so his funeral was held in the secrecy of night.
What will the rest of the series show? Will it delve into the poisoning theory or go into George's favorite position with the next king? We shall see!
