This is a story about duty and a few other D-words. No, not what you’re thinking don't be disgusting.
What propelled me to write this price was the conversation between Prince Andrew and his mother- The Queen of England. He came to her to talk about his marriage. Apparently his wife is a serial cheat, who is now involved with someone with a photograph of him sucking her feet.
He expresses how humiliated he feels and says he’s forced to mention the D-word.
The queen responded: “Diplomacy? Détente? Is it asking too much to say “DUTY”?
Yeah, she definitely said ‘duty’ in caps.
It was actually hilarious; because she knows exactly what D-word he means. What she did was completely dismiss his consideration for a divorce before he even mentioned it, by giving him other options and also stating the course, their course which is duty.
The conversation got a bit more interesting. Andrew didn’t blame his wife, he said she had had enough of the family. Him and the queen went on to discourse what a sweet spirit she - Sarah was. They said she was “a breath of fresh air, modern, relatable, buckets of fun.”
It was only a matter of time before the affairs and politics of the royal family would tire her.
Andrew said:
"But that’s what we do in this family, destroy anyone that’s different. Not at the beginning of course. First we tell ourselves how good they’ll be for the system. They’ll be our salvation, our secret weapon. Make us look more modern. More normal. More human. And we learn the same painful lessons yet again. That no one with any character, originality, spark, wit, and flare has a place in this system."
Well, that was true. Not Margret, not Diana and not Edward. Anyone who doesn't fall in line with all readiness to do their duty to protect the crown will definitely have a difficult time being a part of the royal family. Loyalty to their duties must always come first.
At the beginning of the series, we see Lilibeth - the queen, struggle to navigate the path of a new marriage with Charles, would had a hard time settling into his new life. He soon found hobbies, some questionable and some not to occupy his days with.
He accepted his fate and place, pouted a little bit and The queen conferred on him the title of a prince. He performed his duties to the crown and upheld the same with his children. For me, it felt like creating a box and holding yourself to uncomfortable standards to continue living in it. Watching them go through pain and deprivation of self fulfillment just because they believe their faces need saving.
Well, the crown is the protector of the faith, the faith an embodiment of the laws of God forbids certain things like divorce. Their unspoken and often spoken rule is 'suck it up and quit complaining.' The craziest thing to me is that the matters they actually consider grievous are things that are so negligible.
It was heart breaking watching Margret - the queen's sister, let go of the love of her life, just because he was a divorcee(though I believe he was too old for her anyways) The queen stuck to her duty to protect the reputation of the monarch and didn't approve her marriage to Peter Townsend. It was dark.
Then ask yourself what the true function of the crown is in relation to governance and if it requires all the cult-like theatrics. The queen always said as thought by her mother, that most of their contribution is doing nothing.
I believe this is a good time to say that I don't care for the British monarchy and everything they represent. But, we shall not be discussing that today. It is a fantastic show, by the way.
The royal family is seen to be hostile towards anyone who tries to disrupt the flow even to their own. However, it is their thinking, values and beliefs at the time that influences everything. Everything and everyone are so rigid and uninteresting, the queen was so great in her boringness. Expecting depth from her was too much. Maybe that is just who she or who she has become to fill her role as queen.
Becoming the queen of England at 25 must have quite challenging, but 25 is actually not too small an age to start doing a job. What I believe was most challenging for her was losing her father and then having to become his replacement. But she has never been one to connect deeply with anyone's emotions. After all, that is exactly what she was taught when they were preparing her to be the next queen.
British mannerisms and behavioral grooming is always funny to me. Working extra hard to do things in manners that are considered acceptable. They taught it to us in schools and they still do. The primary and secondary schools I attended were all things British and Catholic. Doing things in moderation, not showing true emotions was a solid part of the culture.
There was hardly any room for our independent personalities to develop. Disobedience was punished heavily. Shut up and do as you're told. Same lens can be used to view the culture of the monarch. There is no room for a sense of self, because of this duty orchestrated by them for themselves; to conquer, dominate and be the center of the world.
The outsiders who enter into this organization don't often find it easy to adapt; but as soon as you realize that is is a cult and act accordingly then you should be fine. The recent season continues to showcase the struggles of Princess Diana, who has been abused, mistreated and neglected by her husband Prince Williams and the rest of the family.
I do feel sorry for her. Entering a marriage as a young girl not know she's just a prop. In her words, she never stood a chance and that is the truth. Prince Williams who already have the love of his life married Diana because she fit the profile not because he even liked her. She saw she couldn't deal, spoke up severally but was silenced and instructed to deal with it and show loyalty to her duty as a future queen.
I am yet to finish Season Five and I honestly don't know what to expect. If you have been following the show and yet to catch up on the latest season then this is your cue to do so.
Images are screenshots collected by yours truly for your viewing pleasure.
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