Henry VIII had a secret daughter who should have taken English throne before Elizabeth I, historian claims (2024)

  • Elizabeth Tailboys would have changed the course of English history had the King acknowledged her as his
  • Revelation unearthed by a historian who has re-examined royal records into the life of Henry VIII's famous mistress Bessie Blount

By Nadia Gilani
Updated:

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King Henry VIII had a secret daughter who should have taken the throne before Elizabeth I, new research has revealed.

Elizabeth Tailboys was the Tudor monarch's illegitimate lovechild who would have changed the course of English history had the King acknowledged her as his at the time.

By rights she should have taken the throne on the death of Queen Mary in 1558, making her the true Elizabeth I and not Elizabeth, the daughter of Anne Boleyn.

Henry VIII had a secret daughter who should have taken English throne before Elizabeth I, historian claims (1)

Henry VIII had a secret daughter who should have taken English throne before Elizabeth I, historian claims (2)

Illegitimate: By rights Elizabeth Tailboys, daughter of Bessie Blount, right should have been Queen instead of Elizabeth I

The decision would have had far reaching consequences for English history and the succession of every monarch since.

For example, England may have been invaded by the Spanish Armada which was actually seen off by the English fleet inspired by the real Elizabeth I in 1588.

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The country could also have become embroiled in religious turmoil as Elizabeth I was credited with religous settlement by founding the Church of England.

And with Elizabeth Tailboys' own children on the throne instead of James I and Charles I, the country may have avoided Civil War, and the rule of Parliamentarians.

The revelation has been unearthed by historian Elizabeth Norton who has re-examined royal records as part of an investigation into the life of Henry VIII's famous mistress Bessie Blount.

Mrs Norton discovered Elizabeth Tailboy's was not the daughter of Bessie's future husband Gilbert Tailboys as previously thought, but the secret lovechild of the King.

Henry VIII had a secret daughter who should have taken English throne before Elizabeth I, historian claims (4)

A picture of Henry VIII's lock for his private apartments - he is said to have taken it everywhere and kept the key to himself

Mrs Norton found Elizabeth was born between April and June 1520, a year after her brother Henry, who was acknowledged as the King's.

Both children were conceived during a period when Henry VIII lived a few miles away from Bessie's home and when he was known to visit her regularly.

This was also two years before Bessie married Gilbert Tailboys who later gave Elizabeth his surname.

The date of Elizabeth's birth made her younger than Mary I but older than Elizabeth, both of whom were also declared illegitimate by the King when he deemed his marriages to their mothers invalid.

However, because he acknowledged them as his, they were included in the Tudor succession after Henry failed to produce further sons.

The historian also noted the King paid particular attention to Elizabeth throughout his life, unusually adjudicating on court cases involving her and securing her financial interests.

Mrs Norton, an author and historian who studied at Cambridge and Oxford universities, said: 'If Henry had acknowledged her, it could have changed the whole course of British history.

'Bessie Blount is widely known to have been Henry's mistress, and she was already the mother of his acknowledged son Henry Fitzroy.

Henry VIII had a secret daughter who should have taken English throne before Elizabeth I, historian claims (5)

Henry VIII had a secret daughter who should have taken English throne before Elizabeth I, historian claims (6)

Elizabeth Tailboys - the lovechild of Henry VIII, pictured left, should have taken the throne after the death of Queen Mary in 1558 making her the true Elizabeth I and not Elizabeth, the daughter of Anne Boleyn, pictured right

'But I believe the evidence and dates make it likely that he was also the father of her second daughter Elizabeth.

'As far as we know, she was conceived about three years before she met her husband Gilbert Tailboys, who would later give her his surname.

'At that time, Henry was staying in the same area as Bessie, within ten miles of her for the whole summer.

'Put simply, we know he was sleeping with her mother.

'In addition to the conception dates, there is also legal evidence that Henry took a personal interest in Bessie and Elizabeth's affairs.

'It would have been very odd for a King to take such an interest in a girl with a relatively minor title otherwise.

'It's highly probably that she was the King's child, but because she was a girl she was of little significance to him - he had no reason to acknowledge her as he did her brother.

'If he had acknowledged her, he would have had to consider her in the succession along with his two other illegitimate daughters, Mary and Elizabeth.

'That would result in further problems for Henry.

'To include two 'illegitimate' daughters in the succession but not a third would suggest that some of his illegitimate daughers were perhaps less illegitimate than others - a political point the King had no wish to make.'

Bessie also had a third child, George Tailboys, born two years after Elizabeth and indisputably fathered by her husband Gilbert.

Mrs Norton has now published the startling research in a new book, Bessie Blount; Mistress to Henry VIII, which is available from Amberley Publishing costing £25.

Henry VIII had a secret daughter who should have taken English throne before Elizabeth I, historian claims (2024)

FAQs

Henry VIII had a secret daughter who should have taken English throne before Elizabeth I, historian claims? ›

King Henry VIII had a secret daughter who should have taken the throne before Elizabeth I, new research has revealed. Elizabeth Tailboys was the Tudor monarch's illegitimate lovechild who would have changed the course of English history had the King acknowledged her as his at the time.

Who was the first child of Henry VIII to take the throne? ›

Henry VIII was survived by three children, each of whom sat on the throne of England: Edward VI (ruled 1547–53), Mary I (ruled 1553–58), and Elizabeth I (ruled 1558–1603).

Who was the daughter of Henry VIII who tried but failed to make England Catholic again? ›

Mary I (born February 18, 1516, Greenwich, near London, England—died November 17, 1558, London) was the first queen to rule England (1553–58) in her own right. She was known as Bloody Mary for her persecution of Protestants in a vain attempt to restore Roman Catholicism in England.

What happened to Henry VIII's illegitimate children? ›

Henry VIII's Illegitimate Children

Henry also had an illegitimate son, named Henry Fitzroy (meaning 'son of the king') born in 1519. The King made Fitzroy Duke of Richmond, and ensured he was well provided for. Fitzroy enjoyed a 'prince's life' until his premature death at 17, probably from tuberculosis.

What happened to Anne Boleyn's daughter? ›

Elizabeth I was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. During her twenties she was imprisoned by her sister, the Catholic Mary I, whom she succeeded in 1558. In her reign Protestantism was re-established and the Spanish Armada was defeated. Elizabeth never married and her rule brought to a close the Tudor dynasty.

Who was the daughter and heir of Henry the First? ›

Henry I had no further legitimate children and nominated Matilda as his heir, making his court swear an oath of loyalty to her and her successors, but the decision was not popular in his Anglo-Norman court.

Who was the unwanted daughter of Henry VIII? ›

Mary was the only surviving child of Henry VIII by his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. She was declared illegitimate and barred from the line of succession following the annulment of her parents' marriage in 1533, though she would later be restored via the Third Succession Act 1543.

Who was Henry the 8th first daughter? ›

Mary Tudor (1516–58) was Queen Mary I from 1553 until her death. She was the first female ruler of England. The only child of Henry VIII and his first wife, Katharine of Aragon, she was almost immediately embroiled in European dynastic politics when, at the age of two, she was betrothed to the Dauphin of France.

How did Elizabeth become queen if she was illegitimate? ›

Elizabeth was the only surviving child of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. When Elizabeth was two years old, her parents' marriage was annulled, her mother was executed, and Elizabeth was declared illegitimate. Henry restored her to the line of succession when she was 10, via the Third Succession Act 1543.

Which royal had the most illegitimate children? ›

Charles II. Charles II fathered at least 20 illegitimate children, of whom he acknowledged 14. The most famous of these was James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, his son by Lucy Walter.

Who was the illegitimate child of Edward VIII? ›

Marie-Leonie gave birth to a son, Pierre-Edouard Graftieaux, in 1916, but the "father" section on his birth certificate was left blank and she never revealed his identity. However, a platinum and diamond bracelet passed down to Graftieaux's mother when he was born suggests a surprising link to the British royal family.

Are there any descendants of Henry VIII alive today? ›

Are there any descendants of Henry VIII alive today? From his legitimate children, no ,since none of them had children, Henry had no official grandchildren.

Who raised Elizabeth after Anne Boleyn's death? ›

Answer and Explanation: After the execution of her mother and the birth of her younger half-brother, Edward, Elizabeth was deemed illegitimate and removed from the English line of succession. After her father's death, she was raised by a series of governesses, as well as by her stepmother, Catherine Parr.

Who was Henry VIII favorite wife? ›

Jane Seymour | PBS. ane was Henry's favorite and "most lawful" wife. This, however, did not stop him from carrying on affairs. Although not one particular mistress would enthrall the king, he would continue to seek sexual favors elsewhere.

How did Queen Elizabeth feel about Anne Boleyn? ›

She made no attempt to overturn the annulment of her mother's marriage or to have her reburied in more fitting surrounds than the Tower of London chapel. The obvious conclusion is that Elizabeth was at best indifferent towards, and at worst ashamed of Anne.

Who was Henry VIII's favorite child? ›

Edward VI. Edward VI, born 12 October 1537, was Henry VIII's first surviving and only legitimate son and the heir to the throne. Henry VIII described him as 'his most noble and most precious jewel. '

What happened to king Henry's first daughter Mary? ›

The rightful heir of the house of Tudor had become 'Bloody Mary'. Her reign was cut short by stomach cancer in 1558, and she died in the full knowledge that her half-sister Elizabeth would entirely overturn her attempts at reconcilliation with Rome.

How did Mary Tudor get the throne? ›

Although the oldest child in the family, she only became Queen after the death of her younger brother Edward VI; the rules of succession meant that the first-born son inherited the crown. As Edward died without having any children (heirs) to pass the throne onto, Mary was next in-line.

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