Mary Rose was not just Henry VIII's sister but an interesting historical figure in her own right. She first married the King of France, a match of great importance to Henry's diplomatic plans. He was dead in three months. The talk of the European courts was that the teenage bride had killed the 51 year-old Louis XII with her exertions of the king in his bedchamber. She then ran off with her new lover, the great rake of the Tudor era, Charles Brandon. After some uncomfortable arguments with Henry VIII, she was officially sanctioned to marry the Duke of Suffolk in 1515 at Greenwich Palace. Yet Henry remained deeply fond of his sister, he named his greatest war ship after her and continued to support Mary despite her ignoring his every request.
