Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine star as a mother and son determined to claw their way to the top.()
As far as overlooked chapters in history go, the tale of a mother using her gorgeous son to seduce the king of England in order to gain power and influence is a pretty salacious one.
That’s the concept behind Mary & George, a new historical psychodrama which sees Oscar winner Julianne Moore and Red, White & Royal Blue star Nicholas Galitzine as the scheming mother and son duo.
So did this really happen? How much of Mary & George is true? And was Mary really a conniving meddler, or a just woman doing what she had to for her family?
Here’s your quick history lesson.
Is Mary & George a true story?
In short, yes. While George’s rise through the ranks is based on fact, the extent of Mary’s meddlesome ways may have been emphasised with a bit of creative licence.
Historical spoiler alert, but the series is based on the non-fiction book The King’s Assassin: The Fatal Affair of George Villiers and James I by writer and broadcaster Benjamin Woolley.
“For a decade, Villiers was at the king’s side — at court, on state occasions and in bed, right up to James’s death in March 1625,” Woolley writes.
Cindy McCreery, an associate professor of history at the University of Sydney, says: “What’s interesting about this pair, Mary and her son George, is that really they establish a very influential political dynasty.”
“The Villiers family, the dukes of Buckingham, are important not just in the period of the reign of King James I, but the dukes of Buckingham continue to serve in roles at the royal court in Britain through the 19th and 20th century.
“This is not just a one-person or two-person dynasty, this is actually a very influential, long-lived dynasty.
“Mary deserves a lot of credit, could also say blame, for that influence.”
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s hone in on the key players in this doomed dynamic.
Who was George Villiers?
We’ll start with the king’s favourite.
Born in 1592 in Leicestershire, George was the second son of Sir George Villiers and his second wife, Mary Beaumont (more on her in a moment).
George was shipped off to France to become skilled at fencing, dancing and speaking French — all the qualities one needed to succeed during this period of time.
According to Minette Butler, assistant curator at the Historic Royal Palaces, George Villiers was once described as “the handsomest-bodied man in all of England” — so props to the casting director for locking in Nicholas Galitzine.
It’s believed George caught the eye of King James I at Apethorpe Palace in Northamptonshire in 1614.
In the series, George doesn’t so much as “catch” the king’s eye as much as Mary colludes with the queen in order to pull some serious strings.
Well this is awkward (for the earl of Somerset)
King James had intimate male companions, known as “favourites”, and it wasn’t unusual for them to be bestowed with wealth and titles as well as affection.
At the time, the king’s favourite was Robert Carr, Earl of Somerset.
But having the king’s ear meant one also had a huge swathe of influence, and it’s believed many people, including the king’s wife, Queen Anne of Denmark, wanted the earl gone.
Enter: George.
From cupbearer to the duke of Buckingham
George quickly bagged the role of royal cupbearer (which also came with the position of gentleman of the bedchamber), and secured a knighthood a year later, in 1615.
This rapid ascent saw George become the king’s favourite, toppling the earl of Somerset and allowing himself to gather wealth and titles for himself and, most importantly, his mother Mary.
George continued to climb the societal ladder, rising from a knight to a viscount, an earl, a marquis to the pièce de résistance in 1623 – the 1st Duke of Buckingham.
Three years earlier, George had married Lady Katherine Manners – one of the richest women in England – and had four children together.
After the king’s death in 1625, George became a mentor to James’s son and the future King Charles I.
According to Professor McCreery, a monarch’s relationships with their consorts, mistresses and favourites was “very nuanced and complex”, and the sexual element between King James I and George was “not the most important point”.
“James was very strategic. He was a very canny ruler and he used individuals like George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, and others as buffers between himself and, not just other members of the court, but between his own heirs,” Professor McCreery says.
“So for James, the duke of Buckingham was very important in being a buffer but also an adviser for his heir Charles I and that was a way of, kind of, controlling Charles.
“The role is both about personal relationships, political power and also advice.”
Who was Mary Villiers?
It is unsurprising that her son George is written about more in the history books. However, Mary Villiers played a crucial role in making sure her son was fit for high society and placing him in the king’s path.
Mary had four children with Sir George Villiers – Susan, John, George and Christopher – and remarried twice after the death of her first husband.
As her second-born son gained status and power, Mary became the countess of Buckingham.
According to Professor McCreery, it’s clear Mary and George, as well as members of their family and others in the royal court, were all ambitious.
“It’s clear that Mary personally had a great deal of ambition,” Professor McCreery says.
“We know she married several times and that her marriages were really designed to gain not just wealth but also status and influence.”
“On the other hand, we need to step away from this really dangerous stereotype of seeing women as the meddlers and as the kind of evil force here.”
“Mary was making the most of what very limited opportunities she had as a woman in early modern England.
“She was from a gentry family. She was not a working-class person but nevertheless she had no access to money on her own other than what she was able to gain firstly as a widow and secondly [through] her son George, who was able, later on, to actually give her essentially an income.
“We should be thinking in terms of family politics rather than looking for a kind of evil genius and blaming Mary.”
Speaking on the red carpet for the series premiere in London, actress Julianne Moore said Mary’s character was “expanded upon in this story”.
“She was somebody who had no agency, absolutely no autonomy, she had no power purchase in life except through the men that she was married to or her male children – so she’s driven by a need to survive, and not just to survive but to thrive.
“Her ambition is based on the fact that she doesn’t have anything of her own. No-one is going to do it for her.”
As for how the king meets his demise? You’ll have to wait and see.
Where can I watch Mary & George?
Mary & George premieres on Binge on March 5 at 1pm AEDT, with all seven episodes dropping at once.
If you’re looking for more favouritism, check out the aptly titled satirical period drama The Favourite on Netflix.
It centres around two cousins (Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz) vying for the affection of a sickly Queen Anne (Olivia Colman).
It goes without saying, but if you’re after more sexy period dramas, check out Bridgerton on Netflix and its prequel series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
For more Julianne Moore, you can catch her latest film May December in select cinemas now.
It’s a semi-fictional tale of an actor coming to study a woman who began a relationship with a 13-year-old while in her 30s, and is eerily close to real life.
And if you’re only just now discovering Nicholas Galitzine and are thinking you’d love to see him play a British prince who falls in love with the son of a US president, check out Red, White & Royal Blue on Amazon Prime (yes, that’s the plot).
