Royal Favourite
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham was one of the most famous figures of early 17th century Europe. Born at Brooksby Hall in Leicestershire, he became the ‘favourite’ of King James I.
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. This portrait was painted in about 1619. We know this from Villiers's clothes, hairstyle and wispy moustache.
Villiers's seal and signature on a document held by the Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland.
Tony Curran as King James I and Nicholas Galitzine as George Villiers
in ‘Mary & George’ © SKY UK
In 2024, Sky TV released 'Mary & George', a drama based on Villiers's life. It portrays his mother, Mary Villiers (played by Julianne Moore) as the architect of his rise to royal favourite and depicts James I as infatuated with George.
Courtier, Idol, Politician, Sex Symbol….Lover?
Famous within his own lifetime and beyond, Villiers was subject to speculation as to the nature of his relationship with King James I. Historical evidence details an intense closeness that we might describe as ‘Queer’ today. The King publicly lavished Villiers with kisses and declared himself as ‘husband’.
For God so love me as I desire only to live in this world for your sake, and that I had rather lived banished in any part of the earth with you than live a sorrowful widow’s life without you.
King James I in a letter to Villiers in 1624
‘Favourite’, ‘just good friends’, 'companion’ or something more?
Today, speculation about their relationship continues. Previously, cultural historians have sometimes erased, misrepresented, or coded the language of LGBTQ+ lives.
Language like ‘just good friends’, ‘favourite’ or ‘companion’ have been used to describe queer lives and relationships in historical records or art history.
Villiers’s story is a reminder that LGBTQ+ life and love isn’t a side story in history, but it shapes history. A history we all inherit and can explore together. The ‘favourite’ continues to inspire debate and queer reflection.