Lady Margaret Clifford

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Lady Margaret Clifford (1540-September 28, 1596) was the daughter of Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland and Lady Eleanor Brandon.

Her maternal grandparents were Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk and Mary Tudor, former queen consort of France. Mary was the fifth daughter of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York. Her older siblings included Arthur, Prince of Wales, Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII of England and Elizabeth Tudor.

Margaret married Henry Stanley on February 7, 1554. They had two sons that survived, Ferdinando and William.

According to the will of Henry VIII, Margaret was the heir to the throne of England between the death of Lady Mary Grey in 1578 and her own death. Margaret outlived her eldest son, Ferdinando; her granddaughter, Lady Anne Stanley, Ferdinando's daughter, took her place as heiress presumptive. This proved meaningless as Anne was never allowed to succeed Queen regnant Elizabeth I of England.