Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers about events related to the upcoming limited series Mary & George.
Penniless after the death of her first husband in 1606 and with four children to support, Englishwoman Mary Villiers desperately searched for a way to turn her family’s fortune around. Her radical solution—to infiltrate the court and personal life of King James I—would catapult Mary and her second son, George, to the center of the English monarchy and earn them a rather notorious reputation throughout history.
Their mother-son scheme forms the basis of the aptly named Starz miniseries Mary & George. Adapted from author Benjamin Woolley’s 2017 nonfiction book The King’s Assassin, the seven-episode drama premieres Friday and stars Academy Award–winner Julianne Moore as Mary and Nicholas Galitzine as her son George, the First Duke of Buckingham.
In what could be described as an extreme case of helicopter parenting, the series explores how Mary helped her son manipulate the king for their family’s own benefit—with George gaining plenty of property and prestige along the way. Eventually, though, his outspokenness caught up to him with unintended consequences.
Mary was eager to provide for her children
Although Mary eventually became a major part of the king’s circle, her early life was much less noteworthy. Believed to have been born in 1570, Mary was the daughter of a Leicester squire named Anthony Beaumont. With little money or status, she began working as a waiting woman—essentially, a personal servant—to a richer relative in her teenage years. It was during this time she married her first husband, a sheep farmer named George Villiers who was also her cousin.
The King’s Assassin: The Fatal Affair of George Villiers and James I
The King’s Assassin: The Fatal Affair of George Villiers and James I
George, who already had six children from his first marriage, had four more kids with Mary. They welcomed one daughter, Susan, and three sons: John, George, and Christopher.
In 1606, when the younger George was in his early teens, his father died and left the family broke. Mary hastily remarried a much older wealthy nobleman named William Raynor, hoping to benefit financially. However, he quickly fell ill and died only two years later. Mary’s hopes of economic security went unfulfilled when Raynor’s estate went to his daughter Elizabeth, instead.
And so Mary wed a third time to Thomas Compton, whose brother had a role in the court of King James I. Looking to exploit the connection, Mary scraped together enough money to send 16-year-old George to France for two years, where he became an accomplished rider and dancer and learned the skills necessary to be a courtier.
All George had to do now was work his way into the king’s good graces.
George quickly became the king’s favorite assistant
Once described by a bishop as “the handsomest-bodied man in all of England,” George did charm James I with help from Mary and some members of the court, who saw a political opportunity.
At the time, Robert Carr, the Earl of Somerset, was the king’s favorite adviser. However, courtiers viewed him as high-handed and possessive, not to mention easily influenced by the king’s Scottish connections (James also ruled Scotland), and they saw a chance to replace him with George. According to The Telegraph, they appointed George as the royal cupbearer, responsible for handing the king his drinks. The plan worked; soon after, George and the king began hunting and riding together.
George was knighted in 1615 and also became a Gentleman of the Bedchamber—an adviser who helped dress the king, guard his chambers, and accompany him in public. His title and role continued to evolve over the next decade, from viscount to earl (officially taking Carr’s appointment) to marquis. Finally, in 1624, George became the Duke of Buckingham. By that time, he had married Lady Katherine Manners, one of the richest women in England with whom he had four children.
Mary experienced her own rapid ascent, befriending the countess of Salisbury and becoming a confidante to the king. She appeared at court so much that George once petitioned her to stay away so as “not to intermeddle with business.” Still, she gained the title of Countess of Buckingham in 1618, further proof her family had attained the wealth and prestige she desired.
George and James were likely lovers until their relationship soured
Although George and King James wouldn’t have disclosed it, evidence suggests their relationship became sexual. James married Ann of Denmark in 1589 and the couple had multiple children, three of whom survived into adulthood. However, he was also notorious for his cadre of male favorites and is described by historian Michael B. Young as “the most prominent homosexual figure in the early modern period.”
George and the king’s connection was reflected in letters the pair exchanged. James referred to his young assistant as his “sweet child and wife,” while George described himself as James’ “most humble slave and servant.”
Despite their personal affinity for each another, the king and duke’s clashing political motives began to drive them apart. George became a tutor and ally of James’ son Charles, the heir to the throne, and was eager to declare war on Spain after a failed marriage negotiation for the young prince in 1623. The king refused, committed to maintaining peace.
Meanwhile, James’ health had begun to decline. He eventually died in March 1625 after contracting a malaria-like fever—sparking rumors that George might have poisoned him to gain favor with Charles and pursue his war. While no conclusive evidence was found, Woolley explored this theory in his book and it could also appear in Mary & George.
In 1628, George met a bloody end
With his ally Charles now on the throne, George ordered multiple attacks, including against Spain. However, they failed miserably, leading parliament to initiate impeachment proceedings against him. King Charles I was able to spare him that fate, but the duke’s reputation had become irreparable.
According to Portsmouth Cathedral, George hoped to organize another military campaign, this time into France, in 1628. However, an angry mob of 300 sailors surrounded his carriage in Portsmouth, and the duke used deadly force to push them back. The stage was set for more violence.
On August 23, 1628, John Felton, a disgruntled army lieutenant who George owed money and had denied a promotion, arrived in Portsmouth with a dagger he bought with money borrowed from his mother. He stabbed the 35-year-old duke, killing him, inside a crowded room at the Greyhound Inn. Felton immediately confessed to the crime inside a kitchen area then formally pleaded guilty and was hanged that November.
The duke’s body was returned to London, where King Charles ordered a burial inside Henry VII’s chapel at Westminster Abbey—a place previously reserved for royals. Meanwhile, Mary, who had likely known her son was vulnerable given his declining reputation, lived not much longer after his murder. She died on April 19, 1632, and was likewise buried at Westminster.
Although the mother and son couldn’t sustain their grip on power forever, their prolonged influence on the royal family and dignified interments illustrate just how successful their scheme ultimately proved.
Watch Mary & George on Starz
Mary & George, a seven-episode limited series rated TV-MA, features Julianne Moore as Mary Villiers, Nicholas Galitzine as George Villiers, and Tony Curran as King James I. Moore explained to Vanity Fair in March 2024 that the show offers a nuanced perspective of Mary’s political shrewdness and relationship with her son.
“I don’t think it’s particularly great parenting,” Moore said. “But [Mary’s] someone who featured in history who’s not talked about and when she is talked about she’s vilified. And it’s like, wait a minute. Why would she be vilified? Why would someone have depicted her as a witch when, in fact, she managed to achieve a lot for herself and set up all of her kids?”
You can make your own interpretation when the first episode of Mary & George debuts April 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Starz. Episodes continue through the series finale on May 17 and will also stream on the Starz app.
Tyler Piccotti first joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor in February 2023, and before that worked almost eight years as a newspaper reporter and copy editor. He is a graduate of Syracuse University. When he's not writing and researching his next story, you can find him at the nearest amusement park, catching the latest movie, or cheering on his favorite sports teams.
