Mary Beatrice was born in Modena, Italy on September 25, 1658. She had wanted to join the convent for the Sisters of the Visitation, which was next door to the Modena’s castle. Throughout her life, she was first and foremost a devoted and pious Catholic. She was quite scared of the rumored debauchery that took place at Charles II’s court in England and she was reluctant to marry the forty-year-old Duke of York, which would also require her to move to a kingdom where her Catholic devotion was persecuted. When Mary Beatrice was on her way to England, she wrote to the Reverend Mother of the Convent, saying:

“My dear Mother, remember your daughter, although she is far away; I assure you my heart ever remains close to yours…Pray to God for me…I have many distractions,…though I certainly do not desire them.”

However, people soon warmed to the new Duchess of York. Mary Beatrice was slow to admire her husband, but she was immediately fond of Charles II, who also liked her and decided that she was much better than his brother deserved. Upon her arrival, she was honored by the famous poet Edmund Waller, who gave tribute to her through such lines:

“Thus we write then: your brighter eyes inspire; A nobler flame, and raise our genius higher;…Your matchless beauty gives our fancy wing; Your judgment makes us careful how we sing…”