As we mourn the loss of British monarch Queen Elizabeth II, we must remember her hardships as a mother as well as a Queen. She battled in secret with the truth that three of her four children’s marriages had resulted in divorce. Although Her Majesty remained stoic when Prince Charles (now King Charles), Prince Andrew, and Princess Anne’s divorces were made public, author Robert Hardman shows in his new biography Queen of Our Times: The Life of Queen Elizabeth II that she grieved behind the scenes.
The divorce discussions were greatly hurting the Queen, despite her outward stoicism. Another former member of the Household recalls catching a glimpse of her misery now and again, he read a portion of his book. It disturbed her far more than she let on, a former employee stated.
He also tried to put the Royals’ failed marriages into context to assist the Quess digest it easier. Ma’am, it appears to be occurring everywhere, he responded. This is virtually always done. But she just exclaimed, ‘Three out of four!’ in grief and anger. One should not underrate the suffering she has endured, he observes.
Despite her emotional troubles, the Queen did not lose her calm, even throughout her disastrous year in 1992. It was “annus horribilis” because a portion of Windsor Castle was destroyed in a fire, as well as Charles, Anne, and Andrew’s failed marriages. It was the same year that the controversies involving Prince Charles and Princess Diana made headlines.
He can’t think of a single time when he went to visit her and she said, ‘No! ‘What comes next?’ recalls her former press secretary Charles Anson. The problem was occasionally humiliating, but she persevered. Working with someone who isn’t turned down is quite encouraging in those instances. Having said that, despite the situation, the Queen’s former press secretary stated that she was never short; never impatient; totally stable.
Even during the high-profile drama surrounding Diana and Charles, Queen Elizabeth chose “stillness,” a strategy she learnt from her late father, King George VI. Her mother’s tactic in similar situations—to go on as if nothing had happened—had gained her the moniker ‘imperial ostrich’ among royal servants, Hardman writes in her biography, which was published earlier this year.
The Queen’s approach, as always, was to follow her father’s lesson, learned from his days at sea, and to handle hardship like the ocean, he continues. Storms will pass, some harsher than others. She, on the other hand, will always put her head down and plow through them. The Queen has always believed that ‘this too shall pass.’ stated Sir John Major, who had worked closely with the Queen during the difficult time.
While the Queen has been criticized for being sluggish to act on occasion, there has never been an accusation of panic. In the face of a catastrophe, her default response is quiet, explains Hardman. Charles, 73, divorced Princess Diana and later married Camilla. In 2005, the Duchess of Cornwall.
Princess Anne, 71, wedded Timothy Laurence in 1992 after her marriage to Mark Phillips failed. Prince Andrew, 62, divorced Sarah Ferguson in 1996 and has subsequently been accused of sexual assault. Prince Edward, 58, is the only one who has been married to Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
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