Lady Mary Grey
Lady Mary Grey (1545–April 20, 1578), sometimes spelled Marie, was the third and last daughter of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk and Lady Frances Brandon. She was a younger sister of Lady Jane Grey and Lady Catherine Grey.
Her maternal grandparents were Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk and Mary Tufor, former Queen consort of France. Mary being a daughter of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York. She was also a younger sister of Henry VIII of England.
Mary Grey was described as "four foot tall and hunchbacked". Assuming this foot is equivalent to the modern measurement, Mary would have been approximately 1,22 metres tall. Her reported deformity would be described as kyphosis
Her oldest sister Jane was the designated heir of Edward VI of England, son of Henry VIII by his third Queen consort Jane Seymour. Edward VI died on July 6, 1553 and Jane was proclaimed Queen regnant on July 10. However Edward VI had removed his older half-sisters Mary I of England , daughter of Henry VIII by his first Queen consort Catherine of Aragon, and Elizabeth I of England, daughter of Henry VIII by his second Queen consort Anne Boleyn, from the line of succession.
Jane was deposed in favor of Mary on July 19, 1553. The deposed Queen was executed on February 12, 1554. Mary continued to reign until her natural death on November 17, 1558. She was also the first Queen consort of Philip II of Spain. Mary died childless and was succeeded by her younger half-sister Elizabeth.
Elizabeth was herself unwed and childless. Lady Catherine Grey was considered a likely heir to the throne until her own death in 1568. This would bring Lady Mary Grey to relative prominence. Mary served the courts of her cousins Mary I of England and Elizabeth I of England as a maid of honor.
As the last surviving granddaughter of Mary Tudor, Mary was considered by some to be heiress presumptive to the English throne. Mary Grey was already living under house arrest at that time, having been imprisoned in 1565 for marrying royal gatekeeper Thomas Keyes without the permission of Queen Elizabeth. She was released following his death in 1572 and was permitted to attend Court occasionally. In spite of the intrigues involving her sisters, Mary Grey does not appear ever to have made a serious claim to the throne. She died childless at age 33.
Elizabeth I survived her and would reign until her own death on March 24, 1603).