u/dahliia_

Mary II was the eldest daughter of James II, which meant that she was seen as the rightful Protestant heir to the throne after the Glorious Revolution and was conveniently married to William, the Prince of Orange who in his own right, had a decent enough claim himself (and an army, of course).

However, Mary wrote something along the lines of 'it has ever been my belief that women should not meddle in politics' in her memoirs, and was content to give all power to her husband (who was already a de facto sovereign) and functioned more like a regent, ruling when her husband was away at war. She proved to be a capable regent and was much more popular than her husband ever was, and he approved of almost all her decisions, and though she did prefer to take advice from him, she could act on her own if she had to.

For this reason however, many view her as 'boring' and a 'doormat' and a very forgettable monarch because she relied on her husband too much and gave him the 'real' power.

Now, for me personally, I think she gets way too much hate for this. Yes, she was the Protestant heir, but she was a product of her time, hence her more traditional beliefs. And she had a very bad education for someone who was so close to the crown, if you read some of her childhood letters, they're filled with spelling and grammar mistakes. She also stated that she preferred a 'retired life', which also explains why she was so happy in Holland and not as happy in England. You can make the argument that her sister Anne also had a poor education and yet took the position of queen more seriously, but another thing to remember is who Mary's husband was. He was already a ruler in his own right with far more experience than her, which is why she was comfortable to let him take control. Either way, she was an effective and popular regent and I'd say she was a pretty good queen. Had she outlived her husband and not died so young, I think her perception would be very different.

But either way, that's just my opinion. What do you think of the Princess of Orange aka Mary Stuart's 'passiveness?'

I don’t know enough about the Anglo-Saxon monarchs, so I didn’t include them.

I know this alert happened a few days ago, but I couldn’t resist making this joke.

Also the alert scared the CRAP out of me. I genuinely thought WW3 started or something. It didn’t help that I was on a bus and everyone’s phone started going off at the same time.

I know Charles II (and James) would be all we need to combat any wildfires!

Smallpox first killed his father, William II in 1650, aged 24, 8 days before his son was born, making his son one of two posthumous monarchs (the other being Henry VII) and also making him the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth.

It then killed his mother, Mary, Princess Royal, aged 29, 10 years later in 1660, when she visited London to celebrate the Restoration of the monarchy under her brother, Charles II. His mother’s death had a big impact on his childhood and it was apart of why he developed a stoic, cold and withdrawn personality, because it was the beginning of him being seen as a political tool, and impacted his education. For example he was raised with strict Republican values (ironically!) in a system controlled by Johan De Witt (probably a bad idea for Johan, if you know how he dies..) and was declared a ‘Child of State’ in 1667 when he was 16. His main guardian after his mother’s death was his grandmother, Amalia of Solms-Braunfels.

Smallpox then nearly killed him in 1675, but he was nursed back to health and survived, though it worsened his asthma and wracking cough which made breathing very difficult in stuffy air.

Finally, smallpox killed his wife, Mary II, in 1694. She was only 32 years old. Her death utterly devastated William and made him fall into a depression, and also made him the sole monarch, meaning he could not rely on her regencies when he was absent anymore. He famously wore a lock of her hair in a mourning ring, enclosed in a locket that was tied to his left arm for the rest of his life, and was only discovered after his death.

Smallpox really had something against him. And ironically, all 3 of them died very young.

The only one I can think of is this one of Mary II where she’s giving a very polite smile.

Yes, I started from Henry VIII's daughters and yes, I know that Henry was king when they were born but he was still Duke of York before he became king. (And I'm aware that Charles I had 4 daughters but I wanted to stick to the two daughters theme, and I also don't think there's a portrait of all 4 of them together as two died as children). (AND [sorry] I’m aware that James II had a third daughter during his exile but I didn’t count her).

Here before the bug-eyed Beatrice comments..

Anyways, which sisters would you want to meet? I would of course want to meet Mary II and Anne, though I'd like to meet them separately because I feel like they would barely acknowledge my presence if they were together, too busy arguing... Other than them, I would have loved to meet Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. It would be great fun!

I'm sure these 3 would have a wonderful time discussing those pesky nephews!

The lean, the arm over the chair. He's giving the '70 years? Pshh, look at me now' look.

Other than ‘Anne Gloria’ which I’ve only heard the Horrible Histories song say 🤔

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Victoria was not very fond of any of her predeceasing queen regnants.

So which one would she like the most?

(Excluding Elizabeth II, who is her descendant and not her predecessor.)

Mary II would post about her gardens and exotic plants, as well as her collection of blue and white porcelain, with occasional clothing/makeup sponsors. Would make GRWMs talking about her father and sister. And she would force her husband to pose for the camera and also be her cameraman, and he somehow becomes a fan favourite.

William III would run a personal France hate page.

Mary got the title role of Calisto, whereas Anne played Nyphe, Calisto's sister.

The king of the Gods, Jupiter (played by Lady Henrietta Wentworth, future mistress of James Scott, Duke of Monmouth) falls in love with Calisto (Mary), a virgin nymph who deeply admires the goddess Diana.

She refuses any relationship, and so Jupiter seeks the help of Mercury (Sarah Churchill, later Duchess of Marlborough), his messenger, who helps him transform into the exact likeness of Diana. Jupiter, as Diana, approaches Calisto and embraces her, tricking her.

The real Diana (played by Margaret Blagge, later Margaret Godolphin) finds out. Juno (played by Anne Fitzroy, later Countess of Sussex, illegitimate daughter of Charles II and Barbara Villiers) is Jupiter's wife and is furious at her husband's infidelity. She seeks to punish Calisto, and Jupiter, to save Calisto, transforms her into a constellation in the stars (Ursa Major).

Anne's role is a secondary plotline, where Nyphe (Anne) and Mercury (Sarah) fall in love.

Since it was the 17th century and they were young girls (Mary was 12, Anne was 10 and the other noblewomen were also quite young), they had to tone it down (for example the real play was a lot more violent) and added more comedy to the original story.

The point of the play was to introduce the princesses (especially Mary, with her being the elder of the two with the lead role) into the world of diplomacy and marriage, and to show off their beauty and eligibility. The play was the idea of their stepmother, Mary of Modena. The purpose of the play was to critique the immorality of Charles II's Restoration court, but in a more intellectual way rather than an outright one. Several foreign ambassadors also watched the play, and among them was Baron Frederik van Reede tot Renswoude, the ambassador from the House of Orange, whose presence helped open up doors for the marriage between Mary and William, Prince of Orange just 2 years later. The two would then go on to rule jointly after the Glorious Revolution.

The obvious two that come to mind are Elizabeth II and Princess Diana. But who else?

Monarchs and consorts or any royal figures count, and it can be in the UK/England/Scotland/Ireland or their native country.

Inspired by the post about Elizabeth II from u/MauveHarrison yesterday.

Edit: I have no idea how I forgot her: but I’d like to give a shout to Mary II. She had the biggest funeral for her time, attended by both Houses of Parliament for the first time and the country plunged into nationwide mourning, mourners wore black, shops shut, etc. She was also mourned in the Netherlands.