Editing Mary II (section)

==Marriage==
[[File:1662 Mary II.jpg|thumb|Portrait by [[Peter Lely]], 1677]]
William and a tearful Mary were married in St James's Palace by Bishop [[Henry Compton (bishop)|Henry Compton]] on 4 November 1677.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 47–48; Waller, p. 258</ref> The [[bedding ceremony]] to publicly establish the consummation of the marriage was attended by the royal family, with her uncle the King himself drawing the [[Bed hangings|bedcurtains]].<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 48</ref> Mary accompanied her husband on a rough sea crossing to the [[Netherlands]] later that month, after a delay of two weeks caused by bad weather.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 50–51; Waller, p. 259</ref> [[Rotterdam]] was inaccessible because of ice, and they were forced to land at the small village of [[Ter Heijde]], and walk through the frosty countryside until met by coaches to take them to [[Huis Honselaarsdijk]].<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 51; Waller, pp. 258–259</ref> On 14 December, they made a formal entry to [[The Hague]] in a grand procession.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 52</ref>

Mary's animated and personable nature made her popular with the Dutch people, and her marriage to a Protestant prince was popular in Britain.<ref>Waller, pp. 257–259</ref> She was devoted to her husband, but he was often away on campaigns, which led to Mary's family supposing him to be cold and neglectful.<ref>Waller, pp. 259–262</ref> Within months of the marriage Mary was pregnant; however, on a visit to her husband at the fortified city of [[Breda]], she suffered a [[miscarriage]], which may have permanently impaired her ability to have children.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 55–58; Waller, p. 261</ref> Further bouts of illness, which may also have been miscarriages, occurred in mid-1678, early 1679, and early 1680.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 57, 58, 62</ref> Her childlessness would be the greatest source of unhappiness in her life.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 162; Waller, p. 262</ref>

From May 1684, Charles II's illegitimate son, [[James Scott, Duke of Monmouth]], lived in the Netherlands, where he was hosted by William and Mary. Monmouth was viewed as a rival to the Duke of York, and as a potential Protestant heir who could supplant the Duke in the line of succession. William, however, did not consider him a viable alternative and correctly assumed that Monmouth had insufficient support.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 72–73</ref>

While the pair started out somewhat distant, they became quite close and trusting of each other over the course of their marriage.{{efn|William did not trust her entourage unconditionally. He took the precaution of appointing as her personal secretary his illegitimate elder half-brother, [[Abel Tassin d'Alonne]], whom he trusted implicitly. D'Alonne was among other things instrumental in preventing a plot to abduct Mary, in which her private chaplain [[John Covel]] was involved.<ref name=leeuw148>{{cite journal|author=Leeuw, K. de|title=The Black Chamber in the Dutch Republic during the War of the Spanish Succession and it Aftermath, 1707–1715|journal=The Historical Journal|year=1999|volume=42|issue=1|pages=148|doi=10.1017/S0018246X98008292 |s2cid=162387765 |url=https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/3074971/12767_UBA002000046_07.pdf|access-date=3 August 2023}}</ref> D'Alonne would remain her private secretary until her death.}} Their mutual fervour for Protestantism additionally helped bind them together.<ref>Keates, p. 34</ref>