Pride and precedence: the rivalry of the House of Orange-Nassau and the Palatine family at the Anglo-Dutch wedding of 1641

“They doe seek to get my eldest Neece but that I hope will not be granted it being too low for her”. These words of Charles I’s sister, Elizabeth of Bohemia, regarding Princess Mary’s upcoming nuptials with William of Orange-Nassau highlight the importance of precedence in the high politics of early modern Europe. This article will demonstrate that the Anglo-Dutch wedding of 1641 provided the backdrop to the competition for status between the family of the bridegroom, the House of Orange-Nassau, and Elizabeth’s court-in-exile based in The Hague. As the diplomatic stage was one on which every player’s conduct and reception was subject to intense scrutiny, it was essential for exiled regimes to safeguard their position in the hierarchy of European princes. However, such considerations are often overlooked in studies of the actions of Elizabeth’s son in London before and after the marriage celebrations, but can provide a valuable insight into diplomatic practices of the early modern period