In a post-wedding letter to Philip's sister Juana, he reported that he had been welcomed to England with "great demonstrations of affection and general joy." Things seemed to be going well for the newlyweds immediately following their wedding, when they arrived in triumph by barge to the city of Westminster on August 18, and then spent several days in London before heading off to Hampton Court for the remainder of the Summer. Now, all eyes were on Mary - or rather, her midsection. An heir was a crucial detail in a royal marriage - and for Mary especially, it was absolutely necessary to supply England with a proper Catholic male heir. Unfortunately, even she would have known that her age would be a struggle, and that the chances of bearing a healthy child at this point in her life were slim.
Unfortunately, once Summer passed, there was much more hostility to be found in London, and Spaniards found themselves at odds with Englishmen. In some instances, the Spaniards even thought less of the Queen herself, with one man reporting "The Queen is not pretty, not at all, is low, fragile structure instead of fat, with very white hair and blond, has no eyebrows, is holy, she dresses very badly."
The interesting thing about Mary and Philip's marriage is that Philip ruled alongside Mary, rather than being a step below her. Once they were officially joined in matrimony, he was created "King of England." Of course, he still needed to run things by Mary before acting (which he wasn't pleased about), but they were, for all intents and purposes, joint rulers - and Mary was fine with that. She was a traditional woman who believed that a wife should be obedient to her husband, and that Philip should be given every respect and priviledge that she was given as the monarch. Of course, some of this could have stemmed for her deep affection for him, but it is thought that after only a few months, it was clear to both parties that love was not the basis of their marriage. Though Mary did fall (and fall hard), she accepted that Philip did not feel the same way.
Through most things, Philip and Mary agreed. They both wanted to bring the English people back to Rome and make England a Catholic nation once again, and they both agreed that, in order to do this, Protestants must be punished - (hence the Protestant persecutions...). Politically, they meshed well - though the rest of England did not agree. Their reign was harsh and caused many people to suffer and die. Personally, they were not as good for each other. When Mary experienced her first false pregnancy, she was distraught, and learning that Philip was enjoying his fair share of mistresses (both in England and Spain) certainly didn't help matters. However, contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence that Philip wanted to rush away from Mary when he went to Spain to visit his father. Perhaps he wasn't truly as cold-hearted to her as it has seemed in past reading. Many reports show that Philip showed Mary great kindness, though there is certainly a difference between "kindness" and "love," or even "affection." It seems that their marriage was one of convenience - not one that Philip would have necessarily chosen for himself, but a good political match nonetheless. Mary, on the other hand, would always carry her heart on her sleeve and yearn for the love that would always be denied her by her beloved husband.
Sadly, Philip was not even in England when Mary died in November 1558. He was in Brussels after learning of the death of his father, and while there he was informed of the death of his wife. Upon hearing of it, Philip wrote in a letter, "I felt a reasonable regret for her death." ...Not exactly the heartfelt, regretful statement you would expect of a surviving spouse, but it was all Philip was willing to give. He would later marry twice more in his life, and Mary would be remembered as a villain of the English monarchy. I cannot stop feeling bad for that poor woman....
So, not a very happy anniversary post, but anyway.... Happy Anniversary, Mary and Philip!