9. Mary and Anne Boleyn both caught the eye of King Henry VIII, but only one of them would go on to become his Queen
By all accounts, Mary was the prettiest of the Boleyn girls. What’s more, according to one of her romantic interests, she was also something of a skilled lover. In the end, however, it was her sister, Anne, who snared the ultimate prize. The younger sibling ended up getting – and accepting – a proposal of marriage from King Henry VIII. She became Queen of England, albeit only for a short while before she met her tragic, and bloody end.
Compared to Anne, relatively little is known about Mary Boleyn. Born in the county of Norfolk in around 1499, she was the eldest daughter of Thomas Boleyn and his wife Lady Elizabeth Howard. As a young lady, she traveled with her father to France, where her beauty and education caught the attention of several notable gentlemen. It’s believed that Mary enjoyed a string of affairs while in Paris, including possibly with King Francis himself. By the time she returned to England in 1519, Mary had gained a reputation as being a skilled – and discrete – lover. It was almost inevitable that she then caught the eye of King Henry VIII of England.
Mary was appointed maid-of-honor to Catherine of Aragon, then the Queen. Despite pledging her loyalty to her mistress, and despite the fact she got married herself, she embarked on an affair with the King. Nobody knows how long Mary and Henry VIII enjoyed sexual relations. There are even claims, still unproven, that the King had two children with his mistress. But Mary would never be anything more than a deniable plaything for the decadent monarch – unlike her younger sister Anne.
Anne Boleyn joined the Royal Court in 1522. Though Mary was more physically attractive, apparently it was Anne who was the more popular. And, unlike her older sister, she rebuked the King’s advances. She decided to play the long game instead, and it worked. By 1527, Henry had made up his mind; he wanted Anne to be his wife. By the time Anne became Queen of England, Mary had moved on to her second husband and was resigned to a life of relative poverty away from the royal court. If there ever was a fierce sibling rivalry – and some historians dispute this, arguing the two ladies were never that close – Anne came out on top, though she paid the ultimate price, being beheaded for adultery and treason in 1536.