I would go strongly with Princess Elizabeth. A catholic Mary could lead to many remembering the legacies of both Mary I and her ancestor, Mary, Queen of Scots.
Other options I though could be:
- Henrietta. After her grandmother, Henrietta Maria of France and her aunt, Henrietta, Duchess of Orléans. It could also be linked to the strong masculine name of Henry.
- Charlotte. Feminine version of Charles, after her father and grandfather.
As much as I'd love for her to be named Henrietta, her grandmother didn't have the best reputation in England. Though it's possible that she could be named Elizabeth Henrietta of England. Elizabeth after Elizabeth I and Henrietta after her father's beloved sister, the Duchess of Orleans. It's not a standard method of naming though. Not in Britain at least.
Having two close catholic regents would the young Queen have a say if she is married of to:
- Louis, Grand Dauphin
- King Charles II of Spain
- Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
As someone mentioned above Elizabeth would likely be betrothed before her 16 birthday. And it would likely be to someone of Charles's choosing.
The Grand Dauphin would be a none starter. He's heir to the Kingdom of France and marriage to Elizabeth would ensure a union between Britain and France if the two managed to have children together. Which wouldn't be a popular option for anyone on either side of the channel save for perhaps Louis XIV though even he might not countenance it.
A Spanish option would likely not be considered. Both due to the fact that she's heir to the British throne and due to Carlos II being King of Spain. And the Spanish were dreadfully unpopular in Britain at this time. Plus, Carlos II's health problems would not have allowed him to have children. Nor would they have made him an attractive marital option for the British.
If we had to go with a Catholic option for Elizabeth it might be Philippe II, Duc d'Orleans. Simply because he's from a cadet branch and not expected to inherit the throne due to the presence and generally robust health of the Grand Dauphin. He's roughly five years younger than Elizabeth however and would not be of age at the time that she'd need to marry. If his brother the Duc de Valois manages to survive this would make things a little easier for such a match to go through. As Duc de Chartres he wouldn't be expected to inherit his father's titles or the French throne if things go wrong with the Grand Dauphin and could potentially be sent to Britain to be King/Prince-Consort alongside Elizabeth.
It's unfortunate that Madame's little Duc de Valois didn't live past his infancy. He'd have probably been a better option than his younger half-brother given his being half-Stuart and five years older than Elizabeth.
I'm really not convinced that she would be a Catholic though.
Not openly catholic. But growing up catholic she may wish to marry someone that is in their religion.
I don't think that Elizabeth would be Catholic either. Charles would have ensured that his daughter grew up Anglican in accordance with the people's wishes. Just as he did for the Duke of York's daughters. Charles may have waffled over the matter of religion in his older years but he would have ensured that his heir grew up protestant. The princess would likely have grown up separate from her mother and with a protestant retinue to ensure this and to soothe any of the fears at court.
To be fair however a Catholic husband does not mean that their children will end up being Catholic themselves. There's a strong likelihood but it's not wholly certain. If Elizabeth II/I is anything like her namesake she'll want to have some say in most things, including the religion of her children. And she won't be a pushover herself.
Plus at this point, Britain's rather used to Catholic spouses for their monarch's. It's not something that they'd like to see continue but they wouldn't put up too much of a fuss as long as their Queen's husband is kept from influencing politics and her children are raised thoroughly protestant themselves.
A closer match, could be her cousin, Duke George Louis of Brunswick-Lüneburg (OTL George I of Great Britain) whom again is a nice, safe, protestant Prince who is willing to come over and be a fairly stable consort uninterested in involving himself in politics.
Having influence in Government, he could arrange for the two relatives get close and hold the young royal family over a barrel, similar to other family members in normal families influencing their own.
This match while safe and protestant likely wouldn't go through. There also wouldn't be any chance for Elizabeth to meet George Louis at all given the matter of his uncle and cousin.
Hannover had plans to marry George Louis to his first cousin Sophia Dorothea of Celle. The marriage would have brought the family greater wealth and would ensure the unification of Hannover and Celle. As well as tying up any loose ends within the family due to his uncle George William having legitimized his daughter and thereby threatened the unification of the Luneburg territories.
Other matches include:
- Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon, was nephew of Lady Anne Hyde, Duchess of York, wife of Prince James, Duke of York, if James has a hand in the coupling.
- Philip William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, son of Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg and his second wife, Princess Sophia Dorothea of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.
- Prince Charles of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, the hereditary prince of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. He was a son of Gustavus Adolph and his wife Magdalene Sibylle née Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, a daughter of Frederick III
As scandalous as James's marriage to Anne Hyde was, I can't see Elizabeth marrying the 3rd Earl of Clarendon. For one, Catherine of Braganza likely wouldn't have approved of the match. Her daughter would have to marry royal. Marriage for a Queen would be different than that of a King. The regents (and Charles II if he were the one to arrange her marriage in his daughter's relative youth) wouldn't be able to justify marrying her to someone with non-royal blood. It would also bring nothing to the nation as far as royal marriages go.
The Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt would be someone to consider. He's a minor Prussian prince and a younger son. The only thing going against him is the fact that Prussia and most German nations at the time had little going for them save for religion when it came to marriage with the larger powers. This is roughly the time period that Prussia would begin making itself more powerful but they're still a ways away from becoming stronger marital options for someone like a British monarch.
The same would go for the Hereditary Prince of Mecklenburg-Gustrow. He's not a bad option overall. German, Protestant, and close in age to Elizabeth. The only con would be the fact that he's German and has no strong ties to any of the larger Protestant kingdoms save for some distant ties to Denmark and Saxony through his mother.
Over all, Britain would likely prefer to go with marriage to an established kingdom or to someone with familial ties to the Stuarts rather than attempt to wade through the numerous German statelets for a King/Prince-Consort. Or to a non-royal British noble. The Stuarts themselves tended to favor established families from the greater kingdoms to the German statelets so they'd keep German options rather low on the list of marital options for the Princess Elizabeth.
I understand the tension amoungst the common folks. With the effects of the Great Fire of London, three years ago still fresh in their minds, believing it was a Catholic plot, I think its not completely out of the question for the monarch to marry another Catholic. Charles is married to a portugese catholic, both of James's wife are catholic.
The birth of the Princess Elizabeth and her baptism in the Anglican faith would likely quell any such fears. Especially if Charles II went to the effort to give the infant her own household separate from her parents and filled it with protestants. She'd also likely grow up among the children of his protestant lords. And perhaps with the children of the more moderate catholic lords. But there would still be a strong Protestant flavor to her upbringing.
By the time she's of marriageable age fears and tensions might be somewhat lessened if her upbringing and education is handled smartly by the king.
