The date is December 1550. Mary is due to have a family reunion with her half-siblings Elizabeth and Edward, who is King. She's dreading it as they don't have a great relationship.

Alright, so Mary is coming across as a bit of a teenage goth here but the principle is still sound. She had terrible relationships with all of her family and was treated nicely one minute and horribly the next, which would confuse anyone.

Henry was very proud of her as a baby but that changed when he met Anne Boleyn and she fell out of favour as she refused to renounce her Mother the Queen. They were separated and she never saw her Mother again. The horse for Mary as an entry in his accounts is true. As is the 32 manors she inherited. Her step-sister Elizabeth didn't help matters. Mary was packed off to live with her and treated poorly. She did indeed refuse to eat and stayed in her room for days. Sir William really did say he'd use her head as a football. And Anne threatened to kill her as well. Is it any wonder she became known as Bloody Mary?!

She did have a better relationship with Jane Seymour who really did give her a diamond ring. She also got on with Anne of Cleves and did oversee her will. Katherine Howard wasn't around long enough for her to build a relationship.  But Henry did start to treat her better after that.

There really was a reunion planned that Christmas and she really had kept saying she was ill and couldn't come. Poor Mary, it's hard not to feel sorry for her.

If you want to find out more about Mary, check out the sources and places below: