He had a relationship with Catherine Brydges.
Notes: visited at the Vyne by Queen Elizabeth I in 1569. It was from here that she wrote the letter to the Earl of Huntingdon, commanding him to take custody of Mary, Queen of Scots, and to allow her "neither to send or receive any message or letters without our knowledge". In 1586, William was one of the peers who sat on the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1601 he was imprisoned for joining Robert, Earl of Essex' insurrection, London. The Sandys family continued to live at the Vyne until 1650, when the house was sold to Chaloner Chute.