You mean to tell me King Edward is supposed to be 15???

After binging Bridgerton season four way too quickly, My Lady Jane is genuinely the only thing curing my period drama withdrawals right now.

The show is a historical reimagining of the life of Lady Jane Grey (the nine-day Queen) as she’s forced to marry and unexpectedly becomes queen in a world of Ethians, people who can turn into animals. Genuinely the things I would do to be in the room when they were writing this absolute bat-shit crazy show.

So, given the whole thing is loosely, with emphasis on the loose part, based on real life, how old were all the characters when this was all going on? And what is the age difference between the cast playing them?

Here are the ages of the My Lady Jane cast, compared to the characters they play:

Jane – Emily Bader

Via Amazon Prime

In the show when Jane marries Guildford and later becomes queen, she’s only supposed to be 16. Now the actress who plays her, Emily Bader, obviously appears a lot older than this, but she’s actually over 10 years older and is currently 27. Her birthday is the 8th November and so will be 28 this year.

Guildford – Edward Bluemel

Via Amazon Prime

Although he was slightly older than Jane when they married, Guildford Dudley was still only 18. But in real life, Edward Bluemel is even older at 31. You might recognise him from Killing Eve or playing Maeve’s older brother in Sex Education.

King Edward – Jordan Peters

Via Amazon Prime

In real life, King Edward VI, son of Henry VIII became king when he was only NINE years old. So in the show, he’s only supposed to be 15??? Madness. In real life, the actor Jordan Peters, who you might know from Everything I Know About Love, is between the ages of 20 and 30, according to his casting profile. His birthdate and age is currently unknown.

Lord Dudley – Rob Brydon

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Absolute legend Rob Brydon appears in the My Lady Jane cast as Lord Dudley. In real life, Rob is 59 and in the show, Lord Dudley is supposed to be 49.

Lord Seymour – Dominic Cooper

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Not Sky from Mamma Mia making an appearance in the cast of My Lady Jane. Now the timelines of the show don’t quite match up for Lord Seymour as in real life he actually died in 1552 and the show is set when Jane marries Guildford in 1553. But given how batshit and not historically accurate the rest of the show is supposed to be we can forgive them. Seymour was, however, 51 when he died so we can assume he is around this age in the show which makes him five years older than 46 year old Dominic Cooper.

Lady Frances Grey – Anna Chancellor

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I am utterly obsessed with Jane’s mum in the show. Played by Anna Chancellor who is currently 59, her character Lady Frances Grey is only supposed to be 36 when her daughter married Guildford and becomes Queen in the show.

Susannah – Máiréad Tyers

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Máiréad Tyers plays Jane’s maid and the first character we find to be Ethian, Susannah. In the show, Susannah is only supposed to be 16, having grown up as a servant in the Grey family. But in real life, Irish actress Máiréad is 25.

Princess Mary – Kate O’Flynn

Via Amazon Prime

You literally couldn’t get a more perfect villain. In the show, Princess Mary (Mary Tudor) is supposed to be 37 when she’s desperately trying to nab the crown and stop it from going to Jane. But actress Kate O’Flynn is actually one year older in real life at 38.

Princess Elizabeth – Abbie Hern

Via Amazon Prime

And finally, King Edward’s other sister Princess Elizabeth is played by Enola Holmes actress Abbie Hern who is 27. She later goes on to rule as Queen Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch but during the show, her character is supposed to be 20.