A Man May Have Killed His Wife for Elizabeth I

Extramarital affairs among royalty aren't precisely recent events. Over the years, that controversy has burdened many Royals. Given how frequently it occurs, one has to question why it even qualifies as a scandal. Having said that, there are situations when the whole narrative is more scandalous than just two people having a relationship. Elizabeth I and her rumored lover Robert Dudley were involved in that situation.

The Earl of Leicester, Dudley, was reputed to be close to the Queen. There was more to it than that, but that was enough to start the rumor mill in motion. Dudley was also married, and his wife passed away inexplicably.

The Earl could have wed the Queen easily had he not already been married. But the fact that his wife had unexpectedly fallen down the stairs made everything seem quite suspicious. When his wife was discovered at the bottom of some stairs, suicide was at the very least a possibility. The facts surrounding the death didn't really make sense, though, and murder appeared to be another interpretation.

Dudley was ineligible to continue his relationship with the Queen whether he killed his wife or not. Too bad of optics was used. Eighteen years later, when he finally remarried, the Queen barred the new wife from ever appearing in court.

Reign: 17 November 1558 –24 March 1603
Coronation: 15 January 1559
Predecessors; Mary I and Philip
Successor: James I

Born: 7 September 1533Palace of Placentia, Greenwich, England
Died: 24 March 1603 (aged 69)Richmond Palace, Surrey, England