James is gay

This throws a splash of surprise in how we see someone’s sexuality. We can’t even say for certain that the lover was Anne Murray, only that he mentions a ‘Lady Glammis’ in one of the poems and Murray’s husband’s title was Lord Glamis. She has also never publicly confirmed or denied her sexual orientation, leaving many people wondering if she is gay or straight.

However, James has been a strong ally and supporter of the LGBTQ+ community throughout her career.

For James, there was no lamenting the loss of a great love. He has made public statements about being a member of the LGBTQ+ community, emphasizing that sexual orientation is diverse and personal. James later had the component jewels broken down and recast as ‘The Mirror of Great Britain’ making it one of the very first elements of the British Crown Jewels. 

The two maintained their correspondence though, which bemoaned the enforced distance and continued to declare their mutual love however the exchange was brief.

For his part, Esme commanded that his heart be delivered to James but not immediately because he knew how badly the news would be taken. For years, many historians have maintained that James’ language in his letters to his male favourites was flowery but typical. His appointment as Gentleman of the Bedchamber was followed by that of Master of Horse, then Baron Whaddon, Viscount Villiers, Knight of the Garter, Earl of Buckingham, Marquess of Buckingham, and finally, Duke of Buckingham in 1623.

Some suggest this was because Anne had recently miscarried and lost their youngest child. James’ relationship with his wife deteriorated and she was known to openly hate and denounce Carr. When James produced the poem, he was the first to set a trend and actually establish himself as a literary figure. 

In Phoenix, James goes all out in lamenting the loss of Esme.

It is less about putting people in boxes and more about the real mix of feelings they have.

Now, connecting with trans guys means James breaks some ideas of what being gay looks like. For a start, Scotland didn’t have a reputation for literary excellence. James was a little over twenty five years older than Villiers and heading for his sixties which made their displays distasteful to those who witnessed them. 

The catalogue of letters that passed between Villiers and James demonstrate a range of nicknames between them.

His elevation to the dukedom made him the only Duke in England who wasn’t a royal in his own right. Carr’s fall from favour was swift and complete.

The flyer was widely condemned as homophobic and false, and James denounced it as a “desperate and divisive” tactic.

In 2018, when James was running for Attorney General, a conservative website called Big League Politics published an article that claimed that James was “openly lesbian” and that she had a “secret girlfriend”.

James did not respond to the article directly, but she said in a statement that she was “proud of who I am and what I stand for”.

A Personal Choice and a Public Role

Ultimately, James’ sexuality is her personal choice and a private matter. His relationship with his son and heir also became strained as James devoted his entire attention to the man “whom he loved above all men living.” 

Although he was happy to reap the rewards of every position James was prepared to throw at him, Carr simply didn’t have the capacity to actually execute them.

These reasons and innumerable other, hourly objected, move me to hasten the treaty of my marriage; for as to my own nature, God is my witness I could have abstained longer than the weal of my country could have permitted. They placed him at court, allowing him to show off his excellent dancing skills, and the queen secured him a position as Gentleman of the Bedchamber.

Villiers however, doesn’t seem to have fallen into the trap of abusing the king’s trust or taking his favour for granted. Thus began a year of imprisonment. As it happens, he was found guilty though later his charges would be reduced and he was ruled an accessory after the fact rather than having any actual involvement in the poisoning.