Mary was one of the mistresses of Henry VIII. It has been rumoured that she bore one or two of the King's children, though Henry did not acknowledge either of them. Mary was married to William Carey, a wealthy and influential courtier, on 4 February 1520; Henry VIII was a guest at the couple's wedding. At some point, Mary became Henry's mistress; the exact date is unclear, but it probably began some time in 1521. The liaison was never publicised, and Mary never enjoyed the fame, wealth and power that Henry's earlier mistresses. Her first child, Catherine, was born in 1524. Henry's involvement is believed to have ended prior to the birth of Mary's second child, Henry Carey, in March 1526, at which point his involvement would have lasted for five years. Mary's husband died during an outbreak of sweating sickness around 1528. Mary's husband had left her with considerable debts, and her sister Anne arranged for her nephew to be educated at a respectable Cistercian monastery. Anne also interceded to secure her widowed sister an annual pension of £100.