There is an old saying, that having a child is like having pieces of your heart wandering around outside your body.
I can’t imagine that would be easy, the whole being a parent thing. Did you do everything right? What did you do wrong? How can you save your kids from themselves?
And what do you do if your kids aren’t doing the right things? Do you step in? Do you watch them make their choices and not say a word?
But then there comes the age old question – do you have favorites? I mean all parents do, even if they say they don’t. My parents did – my little brother. Kids pick up on these. things, even when you think they don’t.
But how do you save those relationships? How do you make them all feel equal from your failures? And is it truly a failure on anyone’s part?
THIS DOUBLES AS A…
When you are called to the palace, this can never be a good thing. It’s like what type of shit did I do wrong now?
For Margaret Thatcher, she’s pissed off the Queen. When she took office, she promised the Queen that she was going to put the country together, but England is suffering. There is unemployment, a recession, there are riots. Everyone hates them.
And Thatcher – well she just digs in. She tries to stand her ground and I have to admit, I can admire that she wants to stick up for herself. I would too. But there is also a point where you accept defeat and realize that you need help.
But for Thatcher, she wants to dig in harder and she can’t. And that’s when she breaks down. For me, I was like – confused. But I didn’t like the fact that Thatcher apologized for crying and breaking down, because she’s a woman. Who the fuck cares what your sex is! If you’re going to break, BREAK.
The Queen tells her that she’s not the first Prime Minister to break down and it’s okay. Thatcher’s son has gone missing after participating in a car rally. He hasn’t been seen in two days and she’s a wreck, because Mark is her favorite.
And she says it so casually, as if nothing is wrong and she doesn’t think twice. Thatcher has a favorite.
Don’t all parents?
It’s a question that comes up later and for Philip, he’s able to easily say his favorite child. It’s Anne.
But the Queen swears that she doesn’t know who hers is. Philip says everyone knows who hers is, but she swears that she doesn’t.
CALL MY KIDS
When the world knows your favorite but you don’t – you need to get to know your kids. But this isn’t any regular family, so for the Queen, it’s not like you pick up the phone and dial them. No, you go to your secretary and tell them to arrange time with your kids. And you know, you get a cheat sheet about your kids so you know that they like.
Look, I get that running a country is hard and a lot of work. But these are your kids. They should come first. Hell, they should be the biggest thing on your mind. The Queen doesn’t want her kids to know that she’s called the other ones too.
And I have to worry for a second that your kids don’t talk to each other.
She is on a quest to figure out her favorite, but I think that she knows. I think she’s always known. But admitting it means that she’s less of a parent. Admitting it means that she failed.
And you can tell that she doesn’t want to fail.
EDWARD IS A POMPOUS PRICK
First child get together – well, that’s Edward. He’s a kid, but from the moment he walks in the room you can’t help but hate this kid. He’s pompous, loves his place, and is worried about money.
He thinks he’s been called to the castle for one reason – to be told that he’s not getting his money. Which, FYI he gets 20,000 pounds. Like what the actual fuck does a teenager need that much money for?
She sits him down and he bets that they are having poached salmon. Apparently that’s a frequent meal in the palace. I love a salmon dinner, but there is only so much that one can have. The Queen is trying to be nice, but what she is seeing in front of her is a kid that she doesn’t know, isn’t proud of, and is lost.
It must be hard to not be able to relate to your child, but Edward doesn’t care. All he wants is to use his place as a royal. He has a taste for discipline. She reminds him life has dealt him a good hand, but Edward doesn’t seem to understand what she’s saying.
I get that life for him hasn’t been perfect. He says he was bullied. She didn’t know he was bullied. He tells her how people make fun of him. She looks troubled. He knows his place and utilizes his position and attitude. He knows he will get what he wants cause he’s royal. It is an upside to who he is, but rightfully so she looks troubled.
Isn’t he supposed to be more than a title?
ANNE IS LOST AND LONELY
Next child meeting… Anne.
Now, I have never particularly been Anne’s biggest fan, but I also have felt like no one ever tries to see Anne for who she is. She’s going to be criticized forever because she’s a woman and it will always be about her looks. It will never be about all the work that she has done.
Anne has not got long to spend with her Mom. The Queen wants to go out for their ride, despite the forecast of rain. She wants to spend time with her daughter. Anne is confused whey she’s there and I don’t blame her.
Parents are scary when they come to visit.
They go out for a ride and stop for a picnic. The Queen says she’s happy and says she envies Anne. She’s out in the middle of nowhere, one with nature. But Anne – she says that she isn’t happy. They are everywhere. Who? Anne says journalists are everywhere no matter where she goes. Anne is tired of them.
The thing is she told them off once and now she’s mean. She didn’t ask for this life. Anne doesn’t want to be seen – she wants to be low key. But sometimes she wants to be praised, and she’s never given any. She does work in 3rd world countries, and gets no praise.
And what she is – well that’s always compared to Diana. She’s jealous of Diana and tired of being compared to her.
And she’s tired of questions about her marriage. And then as if she isn’t listening, the Queen asks about her marriage. Anne flips her shit and then in the most uncomfortable moment, the Queen tells Anne there has been talk. There are rumors of Anne having an affair and the person in question should be transferred.
I can’t even imagine what it would be a Mom having to tell your daughter you know about her affair and you’ve gotta make it stop. And when your child asks you not to do something, to not take away the one thing that makes her happy… how do you make it better? Anne says the man is the one thing that makes her happy. Nothing makes her happy. The Queen’s advice to Anne is to stick it out.
She doesn’t seem to realize how destroyed her kid is.
Anne used to enjoy her reputation because she could control it, but recently she is the one who is scared. It feels like it controls her. It’s a kind of recklessness. The Queen keeps saying it will pass. Is doing nothing her solution to everything?
Anne is just as lost as Edward.
ANDREW IS RECKLESS
When you are in the navy, you’re not supposed to commender a helicopter to go visit your Mama. But I guess when your Mom is the Commander in Chief, what can anyone say?
It’s obvious from the moment that Andrew arrives who the Queen’s favorite is. She lights up when she see’s her son. Her life looks and feels complete.
She is happy.
She is content.
And she wants to know everything about her son. She’s more loving to him than others. She asks how he got away with the helicopter. He says he was summoned as a matter of national security, but she reminds him that it’s a mother and son lunch. He says he’s second in line to the throne, anything he does is a matter of national security.
Look, I get it – you have a name. You know that you can take advantage of it. And I can’t be mad at Andrew or any of them for that. But at what point did these parents make their kids work for anything? They are responsible for the fact that these kids don’t see that their lives are privileged, but they still need to work and earn respect.
Andrew is happy to be with his Mom. At lunch he asks her for a few things. He wants a title – one when he gets married – and wants to know what it is. Queen says he’ll be the Duke of York. The second – if the military conflict between the British and Argentinians escalate, he wants to go. She says that they are no different than anyone else.
CHARLES IS A SELFISH ASS
Charles asks for his Mother to come to Highgrove, versus him coming into London. She agrees.
The thing about Charles is that his life is all about him. He’s like I am going to be King, but the asshole is so driven by his love/lust/stupidity over Camilla that he doesn’t see who he’s hurting.
He wants the visit from his Mom to be perfect. He wants to show that his life is perfect and that he’s meant to be King more than anything. Every choice, every decision that he makes is about him.
Where his parents failed him is not showing him love and humility. I firmly believe he has Mommy issues and he likes to have people who can act like his Mom in his life. He doesn’t love Camilla for a platinum vag, he loves her because she is a Mommy figure.
But Charles wonders why Diana is icing him out? She’s pregnant, he only talks to Camilla, and he has her out in the middle of nowhere.
The Queen tells him that she knows he’s there, that house is in the middle of nowhere, because of Camilla. The Queen asks how often they talk and he says as often as necessary and when he needs cheering up.
I admire the next moments, when the Queen snaps at him when he says they talk when he needs cheering up. Say what? He just bought his dream house? No. He bought it so he could be near the vagina he wants to be in. She’s telling him that he’s got issues. She says she hates interfering but she says to stop worrying about himself and start worrying about Diana.
Check mate bitch, your Mama just told you whats up.
Diana watches the Queen drive away from her bedroom window. She’s miserable. I feel for her.
Charles had the chance to listen to his Mom and he looks up the stairs, defeated, but retreats to his room. He didn’t fix anything.
Camilla is an obsession and it’s making him not see what he should.
Charles is sooo lost.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- Look, I feel bad for Thatcher that her son is lost, but the way that she acts like the world is ending….well, you know. And she’s not recognizing that she’s showing that her son is her favorite.
- The fact that Thatcher’s daughter goes off on her – I applaud.
- The whole military thing – I know it’s a big thing in history, but like I was distracted by Elizabeth parenting.
- Philip was actually likable in this episode.
- Margaret and The Queen Mom, well – I wanna see more of Margaret.
