On This Day In History . 24 December 1660 . Mary, Princess Royal & Princess of Orange died. . ◼ She died of smallpox, at Whitehall Palace, London and was buried in Westminster Abbey. . . About Mary; . ◼ Princess Mary Henrietta was born at St. James's Palace, London, 4 November 1631. . ◼ 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 & Scottish kings were variously titled Lady or Princess (The younger daughters of British Sovereigns were not consistently titled princesses of Great Britain & styled Royal Highness until the ascension of George I in 1714). . ◼ Mary, Princess Royal was Princess of Orange & Countess of Nassau as the wife of William II, Prince of Orange. William II died in 1650, also of smallpox. Their only child, William succeeded her husband as Prince of Orange-Nassau & later reigned as King of England, Ireland & Scotland. . . . #OnThisDayInHistory #ThisDayInHistory #d24dec #TheYear1660 #MaryPrincessRoyal #MaryPrincessofOrange #HouseofStuart #Royalty #History #PrincessMary #EnglishMonarchy #BritishMonarchy (at Whitehall, London) https://www.instagram.com/p/BryhKl0l3L1/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=l8xp25lk7okt
