WATCH: Nicholas Galitzine is a scheming duke in new miniseries based on one of history’s juiciest gay scandals
Red, White & Royal Blue, Nicholas Galitzine is set to play another gay royal—only this one’s even juicer!Headed to Starz in 2024 is the miniseries Mary & George, a historical drama based on the real gay scandal that shocked an empire.Galitzine stars as George Villiers, the charming 1st Duke of Buckingham, with the great Julianne Moore as his conniving mother, The Countess Mary Villiers.
Though she came from humble beginnings, Mary was infamously power hungry, and would stop at nothing to climb the ranks of the monarchy: bribery, collusion, marrying solely for political gain.
She was ruthless (and a bit of a girlboss, we might add).But perhaps the stunt-iest stunt she ever pulled was using her beautiful son as a honeypot, dangling him in front of King James I whose proclivity for bedding men and women was an open secret.Well, that depends on which scholars and historians you ask, but many believe the gambit worked: the king and George eventually became lovers, earning the young Duke the title of “the king’s favorite.”In any event, that juicy gay gossip is the thrust of Mary & George—emphasis on the thrust.
The miniseries traces the Villiers’ rise to become one of country’s richest and most influential families, the scheming George boinking his way to the top.
