Mary's younger brother Edward was also born while the family lived under asylum, and his birth spurred the princess's father to accelerate the reconquest of his kingdom.

Elizabeth was supposed to be the wife of the Dauphin Charles, heir of the French throne, with Mary as a replacement for her older sister in case of her premature death or other obstacle to marriage.

In Sheen Palace, Mary, together with Elizabeth, spent her infancy and part of her childhood; in addition to the governess, the princesses were given an extensive staff of servants[2] and 400£ a year for their needs (as of 2013 – about 200,000£).

The girls dressed in miniature versions of the lavish outfits worn by noble ladies, and also learned as they got older how to handle heavy fabrics, long trains, and elaborate headdresses.

[9] The daily routine followed by Mary and Elizabeth was probably similar to that which was later set by the King for their brother Edward when he was three years old; it may also have been based on customs described in the household books of their paternal uncle George, Duke of Clarence.

Dinner was served to the princesses at ten or eleven o'clock in the morning; the meal itself was a "noble service" of dishes "brought by revered people" and squires in livery, and could last up to two hours.

While eating, the sisters were read instructive and noble stories;[10] in addition, King Edward IV insisted that there should be no "brawlers, hooligans, dangerous people or adulterers" in the homes of his children, and all conversation in their presence should be "virtuous, honest ... and wise".

In 1469, a feud between Warwick and the royal couple led to an alliance between the Earl and the King's younger brother, George, Duke of Clarence, whose position as heir to the throne was threatened by the idea of Edward IV to appointed his eldest daughter as his successor.

The Queen and princesses were settled in the house of the monk-preachers; here the royal family received news that Warwick had not only won the Battle of Edgcote, but also captured the King, and also executed without trial Mary's maternal grandfather and uncle, Earl Rivers and John Woodville.

Although Jacquetta was acquitted, this unpleasant episode, as well as the unmotivated execution of Earl Rivers, showed how far the enemies of Edward IV were ready to go to destroy his wife and her family.

[21] In September 1470, as Edward IV prepared for an invasion by the combined forces of Warwick and Margaret of Anjou, Mary, her sisters, and her mother were moved to the Tower of London for their safety.

Elizabeth Woodville was in her seventh month of pregnancy and a maternity ward was prepared for her, but she failed to use them: Warwick invaded England, and in early October news appeared in London that Mary's father, along with his younger brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester, had fled the country, having only an illusory hope for a return.

[22] Having received news of her husband's fall, Queen Elizabeth, along with her mother and three daughters,[23] including Mary, hurriedly left the Tower in the middle of the night on a barge and arrived in search of refuge at Westminster Abbey, where she was known as a very pious woman.

[24] Also, they were assisted by ordinary Londoners: the butcher John Gould donated half a cow and two sheep a week to the family of King Edward IV, and the fishmonger provided them with provisions on Fridays and fasting days.

[22] While in hiding, the princesses spent most of their time with nannies, as Queen Elizabeth was busy with the birth and subsequent care of Prince Edward,[25] who was born in early November 1470.

[27] In April 1471, the princess's father, spurred on by the news of the birth of his son, returned to England and, first of all, after attending a thanksgiving service in Westminster Abbey, took his family out of hiding.

[32] At the end of 1474, Edward IV, who was preparing to invade France, signed a will, according to which Mary and her older sister Elizabeth were to receive a dowry of 10,000 marks,[25][34] on the condition that the princesses in the matter of marriage would be submissive to their mother and brother-King.

[35] However, only two months later, Edward IV concluded a peace treaty with France, one of the conditions of which was the marriage of Mary's elder sister to the Dauphin Charles, heir of the French throne, when she reached the age of marriageable consent; in the event of the premature death of Elizabeth, Mary herself became the substitute bride of the Dauphin;[36] however, in 1481, she, apparently, was betrothed to Frederick, Duke of Holstein and Schleswig (youngest son of King Christian I of Denmark),[37] which meant that France's spare bride was no longer needed.