Henrietta Maria's marriage to Charles I in 1625 made her queen consort of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Her Catholic household, chapel, and patronage drew criticism in a Protestant political culture, and she did not undergo a Church of England coronation. After early marital difficulties, she became a close adviser to Charles. At court she supported painting, music, theater, and religious institutions while raising the royal children.

As the dispute with Parliament moved toward war, she became active in securing foreign assistance for the king. In 1642 she traveled to the Netherlands, where she negotiated for support and raised money by selling or pledging jewels. Returning to England in 1643 with arms and soldiers, she helped bring the supplies through royalist territory and reunited with Charles at Oxford. Pregnancy and the worsening military position led her to withdraw westward in 1644. After giving birth at Exeter, she escaped to France.

She organized an exiled royalist household and continued efforts to aid Charles, whose execution in 1649 left her a widowed queen. Her influence declined as her son Charles II developed his own court and advisers. Following the Restoration in 1660, she returned to England, living for a time at Somerset House and recovering income from her position. She went back to France in 1665 and spent her final years there, dying at Colombes in September 1669. Her activities joined household management, patronage, fundraising, and diplomacy.