How Prince William and Prince Harry descend from Mary Boleyn

I believe it was King Henrys thing like he did with Bessie Blount when a mistress got pregnant or he tired of them that he married her off Mary Boleyn was married to William Carey a cousin of his there is no evidence that he continued the affair after she got married I myself think its possible both of them were william careys and in that case prince william and prince harry and this new baby are descended from william carey I think thats really really great

Thanks for the link, very helpful. Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves, especially the latter were the best connected of all of the six Queens and Katherine of Aragon, the oldest family connection. One way or another they were all connected to Edward iii, his sons or to Edward I. Anne’s own Howard line is connected of course to the Mowbray Dukes of Norfolk via Edward I. Ironically, when Henry married he often married a woman more Royal than him or at least whose family were descended from the old families. Henry had better blood thanks to his mother via the superior claim of the House of York, but his father came from the dodgy and illegitimate line of the Beaufort family. Yes, his own grandparents were legally married, both legitimate, but his great grandparents and their parents were from the illegitimate line. John of Gaunt was the father of four Beaufort sons, plus one daughter Joan, the eldest of whom Henry Tudor descended from. He married their mother, Katherine Le Rote and the Pope later declared them legitimate. His granddaughter, Margaret was the mother of Henry Vii via another marriage of spurious nature, which means his father may or may not have been legitimate. The marriage of his paternal grandparents Catherine de Valois and her steward Owen Tudor at the time was spurious. Historically it is accepted but at the time it broke the law and Owen was jailed. Catherine was forbidden from marriage without the consent of the Council as her legitimate son, Henry Vi was just a child. Then we have other questions on the legitimacy of Owen’s eldest son, Edmund, the future father of Henry Vii, because it has been claimed that Catherine de Valois had an ongoing relationship with Edmund Beaufort, so he was her son’s father. It has been dismissed by most people but two historians believe it to be true. There is also the problem with the legitimacy of Elizabeth of York, herself. Our Henry’s mother was actually legally illegitimate when his father stole the throne after Bosworth in 1485. Her uncle, King Richard iii had been given good reasons to believe the marriage of his late brother, King Edward iv and Elizabeth Woodville was not legal because Edward had been previously married or promised to another lady. This lady was the late, very noble, Eleanor Talbot. A relationship of this nature at the same time as his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville made the second one invalid. As a consequence, Richard iii had an investigation, he was satisfied with the evidence and his brothers marriage to EW was declared null and void by Dr Shea and Bishop Shillington, not by Richard himself. A King does not have that power, only the Church and Parliament. His Parliament went on to confirm that case. Richard was made King by consent and the three Estates of the Realm because he was the next legitimate heir. The obvious consequences were that the children, all of the children, of Edward iv, were declared illegitimate, because it was decided that Edward and his wife knew they were not lawfully married and so good faith did not apply. Whether this is true or not is unlikely to be resolved after 500 years of Tudor propaganda, time and even contemporary uncertainties. This declaration included Elizabeth of York, our Henry’s mother. Henry Tudor made capital on this and decided to marry her after a deal was brokered by his mother, Margaret Beaufort and Elizabeth Wydeville. He made this vow in Vennes Cathedral and he had the situation reversed on his taking of the crown in 1485. He ordered the Titular Regis destroyed and repealed, although he only read the first 14_lines in Parliament, thus hiding the full story behind the Act, had all copies destroyed, but one remained at Crowland Abbey, thus reversing the status of his wife and her sisters. ( Ironically it also reversed the status of her missing brothers who had to remain missing, presumed dead for the new King to be secure). So the legitimacy of our Henry and the security of his claim were always in the background. Alliances with those from the old families or foreign Princesses of the ancient legitimate Plantagenet lines were another way to secure his throne as was the production of sons. We always think of Henry chosing a lady for a love match but could their pedigree have also played a part in his mind? Of course I am speculating here, but it does make sense. Most of the families he joined with also had male members so it is also possible that this was a factor. Katherine of Aragon, however, didn’t come from a male rich family, although grandsons had been born via Joanna and Maria. Only two, Charles V and his brother, thrived. Henry formed a deep attachment to five of his wives, save one, Anne of Cleves, who was actually a good match for him.

I am sad that my Father passed before we knew the truth about our family tree. Catherine Carey is my 14th Great Grandmother, through her daughter, Lettice Knollys.