Lord Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leycester

as portrayed by Jeremy Clos

I was born in 1532, the fifth son of John Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland who was the 'de facto' ruler of England during the last years of young King Edward VI. My grand-father, Edmund Dudley, had been executed for treason by King Henry VII.

In 1550, I contracted a love marriage with the daughter of a Norfolk squire, a pretty young girl named Amy Robsart. We were both eighteen years old.

In 1553, my father attempted a coup to place the Lady Jane Grey upon the throne of England in place of Mary Tudor, the first daughter of Henry VIII. I rode with my father and landed squarely in the Tower of London after the attempt failed and Mary I seized back the throne. My father was executed for treason on Tower Hill on 22 August, 1553.

I first met the Princess Elizabeth at the court of her brother, Edward VI, where my father was acting as the Lord Protector.

Upon Elizabeth's accession, my troubles seemed far away. Her Majesty named me Master of the Horse in 1558, a position which kept me by her side. In 1559, I was sworn to the Privy Council. Because Her Majesty had favored me so, rumors began to spread of a romantic relationship and possible marriage between us.

My poor wife, Amy, fell downstairs at our home near Oxford, Cumnor Place, and broke her neck. The scandal which erupted caused Her Majesty to cast me away for some time to escape the taint of the disaster. The coroner's verdict of 'death by misadventure' did nothing to dispel the rumors that I was involved in some secret plan to escape my marriage by dispatching my wife.

The Queen created me Earl of Leycester in 1564 not, as some would believe, to make me more suitable a match for Herself, but because she intended to offer my hand to Mary, Queen of Scots. I was forced to write the the Scottish Queen and deny the suit, for I had no wish to marry any other.

When Her Majesty visited my estate at Kenilworth, I presented a grand pageant which, in cryptic terms, formally proposed marriage.

Her Majesty has not yet responded.

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