455 years ago today in 1560, Amy Robsart died. You might not be familiar with Amy or her husband Robert Dudley so let me clue you up. Robert Dudley was Queen Elizabeth’s favourite and by ‘favourite’ I think you know what I mean (though this was never confirmed as it would damage the whole ‘Virgin’ thing Liz had going on and also bring to light that not only was she shagging a married man but also she was shagging a man beneath her status).
Amy married Rob when she was 18 but he had known Elizabeth for longer. Elizabeth attended the wedding and watched the bloke she had the hots for tie the knot. What a crap feeling this must’ve been. At this time Elizabeth wasn’t the queen and Rob served under Edward, he then briefly helped put Jane Grey on the throne which lasted 9 days before Mary Tudor stormed in and fucked her shut right up. Rob was chucked in the Tower of London, and sentenced to death but narrowly escaped. Amy was allowed to visit him during this time but he was already in Liz’s radar.
When Elizabeth took the throne she gave Robert Dudley a high-powered job in the privy council, showered him with cash and favour, the pair seemed inseparable, (they even shared the same birthday…just sayin). He was very definitely in the Queens good books and gossip started. Amy avoided court and lived a life without her hubby (apparently she was ‘ill’), and was probably very sad and pissed off. After all, It’s one thing your bloke having an affair but something else when it’s the queen, and especially a queen is is partial to getting her own way and has an arsenal of badasses to help her achieve this. The pair of them were flirting openly and they made no effort to hide their feelings. People started to talk and rumours spread that Amy was at home being poisoned slowly by the Queen and her lover.
Months later in 1569, Amy was found dead at the bottom of her stairs. She had a broken neck but no other wounds on her body. This causes suspicion and sandal. Obviously people though Rib had done in his wife to marry the Queen. The pair could never actually marry now as by doing so was as good as admitting guilt. The coroners report said Amy had two thumb sized dints in the back of her head, however it was wrote off as an accident and suggested that she had fallen down the stairs. Now brings us to the ultimate question: was Amy Robsart murdered? Did Liz and Rob have her bumped off? Was she proving too much of an inconvenience to the Queen? Did she commit suicide? Living the shame was probably pretty shitty and depressing or was it just an accident? Who knows!?