In 1688, the birth of a Prince of Wales ignited a family quarrel-and a revolution. James II's drive towards Catholicism had alienated the nation and his two staunchly Protestant daughters by his first marriage, Mary and Anne, the "ungrateful daughters" who eventually usurped their father's crown and stole their half-brother's birthright. Seven prominent men sent an invitation to William of Orange-James's nephew and son-in-law-to intervene in English affairs. But Mary and Anne also played a key role. Jealous and resentful of her hated stepmother, Anne had written a series of malicious letters to Mary in Holland, implying that the Queen's pregnancy was a hoax-a Catholic plot to deny Mary her rightful inheritance. Distraught from being betrayed by his own children, James fled the kingdom. And even as the crown descended on her head, Mary knew she had incurred a father's curse. The sisters quarreled to the day of Mary's death at age 32. Anne did nothing to earn her father's forgiveness, and she declared her brother an outlaw with a price on his head. Acclaimed historian Maureen Waller re-creates the late Stuart era in a compelling narrative that highlights the influence of the royal women on one of the most momentous events in English history. Prompted by religious bigotry and the emotions that beset every family relationship, this palace coup changed the face of the monarchy, and signaled the end of a dynasty. “An absorbing narrative of the Glorious Revolution” ― The New York Times “Waller, using Stuart family letters and an impressive array of secondary sources, has written a highly readable, thoroughly researched family saga that shows vividly how the personal and the political interacted to produce one of the seminal events in British history.” ― Publishers Weekly “A stirring and important story....Colorful period details and vivid portraits of legendary figures like the great Duke of Marlborough: lively, instructive history.” ― Kirkus Reviews “Waller makes an enthralling family saga out of the Glorious Revolution....[ Ungrateful Daughters ] is stimulating and enjoyable.” ―Antonia Fraser, bestselling author of Marie Antoinette Maureen Waller was educated at University College London, where she studied medieval and modern history. She received a master's degree at Queen Mary College, London, in British and European history 1660--1714. After a brief stint at the National Portrait Gallery, she went on to work as an editor at several prestigious London publishing houses. Her first book was the highly acclaimed 1700: Scenes from London Life . Her other books include Sovereign Ladies: The Six Reigning Queens of England and  Ungrateful Daughters: The Stuart Princesses Who Stole Their Father's Crown .  She currently lives in London with her husband, who is a journalist and author. Ungrateful Daughters The Stuart Princesses Who Stole Their Father's Crown By Maureen Waller St. Martin's Press Copyright © 2002 Maureen Waller All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-312-30712-7 Contents List of Illustrations, Acknowledgements, Genealogical Table, Cast of Characters in the Royal Family, Author's Note, Prologue, Part One: The Family, 1. Queen Mary Beatrice, 2. Princess Anne of Denmark, 3. Princess Mary of Orange, 4. King James II, 5. Prince William of Orange, Part Two: The Revolution, 6. The Birth of James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales, 7. Betrayal, 8. Flight, 9. The Takeover, Part Three: Consequences, 10. The Quarrel, 11. An Untimely Death, 12. The Succession, 13. Broken Promises, Notes, Bibliography, Index, CHAPTER 1 Queen Mary Beatrice * * * 'It is strange to see how the Queen's great belly is everywhere ridiculed, as if scarce any body believed it to be true' – Henry Hyde, Earl of Clarendon In the balmy late summer of 1687 Bath received a royal visit. Every morning, to the strains of an Italian orchestra, the pale Queen Mary Beatrice and her attendants, wearing voluminous yellow canvas gowns to disguise the female shape, entered the sulphurous warmth of the Cross Bath for treatment. In the balconies above, men in cumbersome periwigs and women sporting black patches, mouchoirs held to noses to ward off the noxious fumes of the bath, leaned forward to watch the royal consort submerging herself in the waters believed to be so conducive to fertility. In the afternoons the Queen amused herself riding in her coach around the pleasant countryside bordering the River Avon, accompanied by her red-coated guards and a military tune. At her early evening drawing rooms, the gentry flocked to see the tall, willowy Italian Queen, who received them very graciously and allowed them to kiss her hand. This pleasant interlude was interrupted in the first week of September by the arrival of King James II. He had been on a progress through the western counties, pausing with his Catholic priests to touch for the King's Evil, running his fingers over the swollen necks of those