Richard Grey was the younger son of Sir John Grey of Groby and Elizabeth Woodville. Richard was a 3-year-old child when his father was killed fighting for the House of Lancaster at the Second Battle of St Albans on 17 February 1461. When Richard was 6 his mother married the Yorkist king, Edward IV, in secret, on 1 May 1464. Richard first appeared on the public scene when he took part in the jousts to celebrate the creation of his half-brother Richard as Duke of York in 1474, a feat he repeated at the 4-year old Duke's marriage celebrations in 1478 to the 5-year old Anne de Mowbray.