13 LGBTQ+ British Royals in History

With the new Starz show, Mary & George, queer royal history comes to life on the screen. Mary Villiers (played by the phenomenal Julianne Moore) positions her son, George (Red, White, & Royal Bluestar Nicholas Galitzine), to become the lover of King James VI & I (played by Tony Curran).

Adapted from the 2017 book, The King’s Assassin by Benjamin Woolley, the miniseries depicts one of British history’s well-known royal queer relationships.

Like all families, the British royal family has had LGBTQ+ members. Here we look at those who are known or believed to have been part of the community over time —with two honorable ally mentions.

King William II (William Rufus)

King William II (William Rufus), who reigned from 1087 to 1100, was the third son of the famous William the Conqueror and was his chosen heir. William II, called "Rufus" for his reddish complexion, never married or fathered children, leading to speculation that he was gay. His closest adviser was Ranulf Flambard, who eventually became bishop of Durham, and William was often in the company of attractive men, notes the website Historic UK, which concludes that we'll never know William's sexuality for sure. William had a contentious relationship with the Roman Catholic Church, England then being a Catholic country, but was known as a strong military leader. He had enemies within his family, however. He died when shot in the back by an arrow during a hunting trip; his death may have been accidental -- or it may have been engineered by his brother Henry, who quickly had himself crowned king, becoming the first of many Henrys on the British throne.

King Richard I (Richard the Lionheart)

King Richard I (Richard the Lionheart) reigned from 1189 to 1199. "His knightly manner and his prowess in the Third Crusade (1189-92) made him a popular king in his own time as well as the hero of countless romantic legends," notes Encyclopedia Brittanica. "He has been viewed less kindly by more recent historians and scholars." He was a savvy politician and military leader who also wrote poetry but was "capable of great cruelty," according to Brittanica. There is significant evidence that he was gay, although historians differ on this point. He had no children with his queen, Berengaria. Richard has been portrayed frequently on stage and film; The Lion in Winter (1968), in which he was played by Anthony Hopkins, strongly suggested he was gay, while Sean Connery offered a thoroughly heterosexual depiction in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991).

King Edward II

Many historians believe Edward II, king from 1307 to 1327, was gay or bisexual. He had a close relationship with Piers Gaveston, whom he made earl of Cornwall, and it's widely assumed they were lovers. Edward ran afoul of many British nobles, who had Gaveston executed in 1312. He also was close to Hugh Despenser the Younger, his nephew by marriage, who became royal chamberlain. All along the way Edward made enemies, and he was deposed in favor of his son, crowned King Edward III in 1327. Edward II was imprisoned that year, and the traditional belief is that he was murdered, although some historians now believe his death was staged and that he lived three more years. Christopher Marlowe's play Edward II depicts the king as gay, and Derek Jarman made a stunning and explicit film based on the play in 1991.

King James I

Fundamentalist Christians often point to the King James Version of the Bible as the definitive edition, but do they stop to think it was commissioned and overseen by a man who was likely gay or bi? James was the first British monarch of the Stuart line. The son of Mary, Queen of Scots, he became King James VI of Scotland at age 1 (ruling with much help, of course). As an adult, he forged an alliance with England and became King James I of England in 1603, upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I. He was married and fathered children, but he is believed to have had many male lovers, including George Villiers, the early and later duke of Buckingham. They were affectionate in public and had a secret passage between their bedrooms. Besides the Bible and his liaisons, he's known primarily for his clashes with Parliament. He died in 1625.

Mary II

Mary, the eldest daughter of James II and great-granddaughter of James I, came to the throne by force following the Glorious Revolution that overthrew her father in 1689. Fourteen years earlier, in 1675, the teenage princess began a series of over eighty passionate letters to her lady-in-waiting, Frances Apsley. Two years later, Mary married her Dutch cousin, William of Orange, who would rule jointly. Of course, some historians disagree and say they were nothing more than "good friends" (insert eye roll).

William III

The Prince of Orange and Stadholder of the Netherlands became King of England in 1689, ruling jointly with his wife Mary II. It was widely speculated that the king had two lovers during his reign: William Bentinck, later Earl of Portland, and Arnold van Keppel, later Earl of Albermarle. Like his wife, historians debate hints of homosexuality, with some even arguing it as allegations were made by William's political enemies.

Queen Anne

Queen Anne, who ruled from 1702 to 1714, became known to a wider audience through Olivia Colman's Oscar-winning portrayal in the 2018 film The Favourite, which depicted her romances with Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz), and Sarah's cousin Abigail Masham (Emma Stone). The film adds some details we don't know from history, but it is clear the queen was close to both women. Anne was married and became pregnant 18 times, but no child survived. Her reign was marked by wars overseas, political rivalries at home, and her own ill health.

Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon

Edward Hyde, Viscount Cornbury and, later, 3rd Earl of Clarendon, was a maternal first cousin of queens Mary II and Anne. Appointed by Queen Anne to serve as colonial governor for New Jersey and New York, Hyde has been remembered for his scandalous behavior, including bribery and embezzlement. Hyde infamously opened a session of the New York Assembly in 1702 in drag, wearing a "hooped gown and elaborate headdress and carrying a fan, much in the style of the fashionable Queen Anne," with a portrait believed to be Cornbury in women's clothing housed at the New York Historical Society.

Prince George, Duke of Kent

George was one of five children of King George V and had two very famous brothers: Edward, who became King Edward VIII but abdicated to marry an American divorcee, and Albert, who as King George VI ruled the U.K. through World War II. But Prince George, an uncle of Queen Elizabeth II, deserves fame in his own right. He had love affairs with both men and women, was known for his fashion sense, and was a darling of high society. Unfortunately, he was also suspected of sympathizing with Nazi Germany. He was the first royal to work as a civil servant; then during WWII, he joined the Royal Air Force and was killed in a crash while flying to visit other troops. "Conspiracy theories abound" regarding the crash, according to U.K. publication The Rake, including that he was actually heading for peace talks with Germany or that Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered him shot down.

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

We love a royal ally! The mother of the late Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen Mother was a popular figure as a consort and widow. Some of her most endearing friendships were with well-known gay men, including photographer Cecil Beaton, composer Benjamin Britten, and playwright Noël Coward (rumored to have had an affair with her brother-in-law, the Duke of Kent). She regularly hired gay staffers for her royal household; when advised to remove queer footmen by a member of a Conservative government in the 70s, she quipped, "If we didn't have them as staff, we'd have to go self-service."

Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon

They were icons of the swinging '60s: Princess Margaret, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, and her husband, celebrity photographer Antony Armstong-Jones, also known as Lord Snowdon. Margaret partied with the Rolling Stones and was rumored to have had an affair with Mick Jagger -- as well as with Sharman Douglas, daughter of U.S. Ambassador Lewis Douglas. Lord Snowdon is said to have had liaisons with both men and women as well. They were married in 1960 and divorced 18 years later, making Margaret the first royal to divorce since King Henry VIII. Margaret died in 2002, Snowdon in 2017.

Diana, Princess of Wales

Lady Diana Spencer, the first wife of Charles III and mother to princes William and Harry, was another known ally to the community. As Princess of Wales, Diana sparked friendships with many known queer icons, including designer Gianni Versace and singers George Michael, Elton John, and Freddie Mercury - the latter being part of a long-rumored “folktale” of dressing the princess up incognito to go to a gay bar. Among her many causes, Diana also took up work to help the AIDS crisis. In 1987, at the height of the pandemic, Diana was photographed shaking hands with patients when some believed it was transmissible through physical touching like handshakes and hugs. At a time when royals avoided work on “taboo” subjects, Diana willingly embraced it - making her a queer icon decades on.

Lord Ivar Mountbatten and James Coyle

Finally, the 21st century brought us members of the royal family who could be publicly out and proud. Lord Ivar Mountbatten, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, came out in 2016, five years after divorcing his wife, Penelope Thompson. Two years later, Thompson "gave him away" at his wedding to James Coyle, the first same-sex marriage of a member of the extended British royal family. The men live at a magnificent country estate, Bridwell, which you can rent for your own wedding or event.