Hear 'William and Mary' describe their situation at the time of the 1688 rebellion:
Transcription
William
It is God's will that I should become King of England, Scotland and Ireland.
Our invasion of England was necessary, both to preserve peace within these kingdoms and to contain the ambitions of Louis XIV of France. The unwise religious policies of James, who is both my uncle and my father-in-law, threaten to tear the kingdoms of Scotland, England and Ireland apart. We need a united Stuart realm to stand firm against France.
Mary
I was raised in the Protestant religion, and kept safe from my father's Catholicism. Now my dear husband must save our land from my father's deception. Surely this infant James is not the true child of my father and his wife, but was smuggled in to provide a Catholic heir. The only way to save both church and state is for my husband William to remove my father James from the throne.
William
If they ask my wife Mary to rule alone as Queen, I cannot think to hold anything by apron strings. I will return to Holland and meddle no more with their affairs.
Mary
I wish to reign jointly with my husband William. I am his wife and never meant to be other than in subjection to him. Now, in the struggles that lie ahead, all I can hope is that God will preserve both my husband and my father.