Ann Michael Maye’s status as Queen of the North has left her family in awe.
The wife of Recent England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye told content creator Hallie Batchelder, who joined her on her Beyond Bakemas YouTube series, a few humorous phone call she got from her grandma.
“My grandma called me someday and was like, ‘Did you understand you’re the Queen of Recent England?’” Ann Michael, 22, said. (She has also been dubbed First Lady of Recent England.)
“She said, ‘What are your responsibilities?’” Ann Michael continued. “I’m like, ‘I’m not an actual queen.’”
As Drake, 23, led the Patriots through his first season as a starter, culminating in a visit to the Super Bowl, Ann Michael went from football WAG to outright celebrity, helped partly by her healthful social media content and enthusiastic support for her husband.
“She’s got her own little journey that’s been awesome,” Drake marveled about Ann Michael in a January press conference. “Being herself, that’s one of the best thing about her and what I like her for.”
Drake and Ann Michael have known one another since middle school, with Ann Michael following him to the University of North Carolina, where he was the Tar Heels’ quarterback. When the Patriots chosen Drake in the primary round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Huntsville, North Carolina, native moved north.
“It’s been awesome to follow her journey,” Drake continued. “I do know [I] was looking forward to her getting up here. After we got married, she got here up here and had never lived up north.”
He added, “[She] had never seen this much snow on the bottom, so obviously it was an adjustment for her. She’s loved it, she’s loved the people up here, living up here [and] she loves the support. She’s got her own little journey that’s been awesome, being herself and that’s one of the best thing about her and what I like her for.”
The Patriots’ 2025-26 championship hopes ultimately fell short in a 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on February 8. Just a few days later, Ann Michael reflected on the season with a post via Instagram.
“Not how we wanted it to finish but still thanking God for this incredible season❤️,” she wrote within the caption. “We’re blessed to be surrounded by such a tremendous group of individuals, who made this season what it was. This is just the start!!”
Throughout the season, Ann Michael endeared herself to greater than just the Patriots fans. Drake’s teammates also became proud subjects to the Queen of the North due to Ann Michael’s routine of baking for them.
“The O-line is, like, the most important recipients of my baked goods,” she told NBC Sports Boston in January. “Occasionally, they’ll write me a thanks note. It’s so funny, it’s, like, ‘Just keep feeding us. We want to guard your husband, so we want to maintain on the additional weight. For those who need a bodyguard, we’ll be your bodyguard.’”
In fact, she bakes for Drake as well.
“Drake loves sweets, in order that’s been pretty good,” she said. “He really liked these peppermint sugar cookies with a vanilla icing that had a touch of peppermint in it.”