In 1587 he presented a Latin poem to the King, which describes him as ruler of a northern British kingdom, both North Star and Morning Star; Soon after James's accession to the English throne at the Union of the Crowns in 1603 he was appointed tutor to Prince Charles, then duke of York.
Andrew Melville, when he sought his liberty in November 1610, placed the management of his case in the hands of Murray, to whom he refers as his special friend.
In 1615 George Gladstanes, Archbishop of St. Andrews, made an unsuccessful attempt to get Murray removed from the tutorship of Prince Charles as for his religious views.
On 13 March 1617 Murray was appointed a collector of the reimposed duty on 'northern cloth,' and allowed one-third of the profits.
In August of the same year the king promised him the provostship of Eton, but his appointment was opposed on suspicion of his puritanism, and he received the post of secretary to Prince Charles instead.
[5] Anne Murray, Lady Halkett wrote that her mother was "entrusted twice with the charge and honor of being Governese to the Duke of Glocester and the Princese Elizabeth; the first during the time that the Countese of Roxbery (who owned my mother for her cousin) went and continued in Holland with the Princese Royall; and then again when my Lady Roxbery died".
[6] The children of Secretary Murray and Jean Drummond were brought up at Berkhamsted Place and Charlton House, included: