Early on in her reign, Queen Elizabeth I proclaimed that she would not marry because she was 'already bound unto a husband which is the Kingdom of England'. Nevertheless, numerous candidates were mooted and over the next two decades Elizabeth found each man unsuitable, for one reason or another.

Why did Elizabeth not marry?

Elizabeth is the only English queen never to marry. ... Some historians think she chose not to marry in order to protect England's security; she wanted to remain independent of any foreign influence which marrying a foreign prince would have brought.

Was Elizabeth I really a virgin?

Famously, Elizabeth lived and died as the 'Virgin Queen', resistant to being married off and obviously childless. ... We may never know if Elizabeth had non-platonic relationships with any of them, though no evidence has ever conclusively proved that she took lovers or companions before or after taking the crown.