Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange
| Mary of England | |
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| Princess Royal | |
Mary Henrietta Stuart (1652 painting by Bartholomeus van der Helst)
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Princess consort of Orange; Countess consort of Nassau |
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| Tenure | 14 March 1647 – 6 November 1650 |
| Born | 4 November 1631 St. James's Palace, London |
| Died | 24 December 1660 (aged 29) Whitehall Palace, London |
| Burial | Westminster Abbey, London |
| Spouse | William II, Prince of Orange (m. 1641; d. 1650) |
| Issue | William III of England |
| House | Stuart |
| Father | Charles I of England |
| Mother | Henrietta Maria of France |
Mary, Princess Royal (Mary Henrietta; 4 November 1631 – 24 December 1660) was Princess of Orange and Countess of Nassau by marriage to Prince William II. She was the eldest daughter of King Charles I of England, Scotland, and Ireland and his wife, Henrietta Maria of France. Her only child, William succeeded her husband as Prince of Orange-Nassau and later reigned as King of England, Ireland and Scotland.
Mary was the first daughter of a British sovereign to hold the title Princess Royal. She was co-regent for her son during his minority as Sovereign Prince of Orange from 1651 to 1660.
Princess Mary Henrietta was born at St. James's Palace, London. Charles I designated her Princess Royal in 1642, thus establishing the tradition that the eldest daughter of the British Sovereign might bear this title. The title came into being when Queen Henrietta Maria, the daughter of King Henry IV of France wished to imitate the way the eldest daughter of the French king was styled (Madame Royale). Until that time, the eldest daughters of English and Scottish kings were variously titled Lady or Princess (The younger daughters of British Sovereigns were not consistently titled princesses of Great Britain and styled Royal Highness until the ascension of George I in 1714).
Her father, Charles I, wished the Princess Royal to marry a son of Philip IV of Spain, while her first cousin, Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine, was also a suitor for her hand. Both proposals fell through and she was betrothed to William, the son and heir of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the United Provinces, and of Amalia of Solms-Braunfels. The marriage took place on 2 May 1641 at the Chapel Royal, Whitehall Palace, London. The marriage was reputedly not consummated for several years because the bride was nine years old. In 1642, Mary moved to the Dutch Republic with her mother, Queen Henrietta Maria, and in 1644, as the daughter-in-law of the stadtholder, Frederick Henry, she became more engaged in courtly and public events.
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