ABSTRACT
The British never really took to William III. In his lifetime he was unpopular for his lack of sociabililty, for his preference for old friends from the Netherlands over Britons, and for the endless drain of resources to maintain his wars. His subjects recognised that he defended their interests better than any alternative ruler, so were relieved when he escaped dangers unharmed, but there was never the warm affection which has sometimes built between people and monarch. After William’s death, his subjects seemed keen to forget him as quickly as possible. The monuments planned for public places during his funeral arrangements were never built, and the annual commemoration for the Glorious Revolution, which was instituted on 5 November, soon disappeared in the older ceremonies marking victory over Guy Fawkes. By the end of the second millennium, few Britons knew much about William. Irish Protestants had turned him into a symbol of comfort in recognition of his salvation of them at the Boyne, but these friends did the king’s image more harm than good. Ulster loyalism had come to mean intolerant tribalism in many sections of mainland opinion. William’s association with the movement made many wary of promoting his memory. His image in Orange parades has discouraged closer investigation of either his own (very liberal) religious attitudes, or the complexities in unionist use of their icon.
