Good point.
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Lurker here, I’ve been loving all the gossip - especially the Tudor stuff!
Just wanted to add that the Queen Mum was treated at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for the fish bone (my mum worked there at the time). It’s a public hospital not private
Just wanted to add that the Queen Mum was treated at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for the fish bone (my mum worked there at the time). It’s a public hospital not private
Anyone who’s interested in medieval queens/ladies I really recommend Anne O’Brien’s books. They’re fiction but I really enjoy them. Also Alison Weir is doing a great collection of fiction books about the six wives of Henry VIII. The first 4 wives are already out, Kathryn Howard’s book is out in August.
If you want a factual book “The First Tudor Queen” by Alison Weir is great it’s about Elizabeth of York.
If you want a factual book “The First Tudor Queen” by Alison Weir is great it’s about Elizabeth of York.
The BBC ran a series of programmes by Lucy Worsley on Henry & his 6 wives, very informative, but unfortunately not available on the iPlayer any more, which is a shame.
www.bbc.co.uk
Anyone watched Victoria & her 9 children on Netflix? She really doesn’t come out of that series very well at all, in reality she was the parent from hell.
BBC One - Six Wives with Lucy Worsley, Episode 1
Catherine of Aragon passionately defended her position as Henry pressed for annulment.
Anyone watched Victoria & her 9 children on Netflix? She really doesn’t come out of that series very well at all, in reality she was the parent from hell.
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This keeps popping up as recommended. Is it worth a watch?
She was in many regards a person from hell. Even Albert had to do dances to smooth things over with their kids, staff and others.
Victoria was also anti-feminist, ironically believing that women belong in the kitchen.
She was very into bedroom activities (hence the 9 kids), hated breastfeeding (she was not "a cow" and was disgusted when one of her daughters wrote that she was breastfeeding her child) and had a prolapsed uterus (as discovered by her physician after she passed).
She saw Russia's demise coming, as did many others, as Alix and Nicky were unfit, esp Alix who was peculiar and Nicky followed her lead.
What I've found most surprising to learn is that Vic & Albert's children spoke with a thick German accent and when they got together in older age, esp when reminiscing about their childhoods, the accent would grow thicker and thicker (common amongst multilinguists, and generally common to reverse into old patterns when meeting with people from the past, not just in speech but also behaviour).
Funny that the British king (Ed VII), born and bred in England, spoke with a heavy German accent!!
I find that normal for monarchs who came to countries late (eg George I), but for someone who was born and grew up in their own country and raised as heir it is rather astonishing.
How very interesting, I expect Victoria spoke German as she had stong family links with the nation, and of course Albert would have had a strong German accent.
I gather that Prince Philip is also as fluent in German as he is in English, and speaks German with a German accent, his sisters married Nazis.
Yes, for Victoria it's no wonder she spoke German, her mother (a German) came to England after her first marriage from Germany and never learnt English. That's what I read, in any case her English was either non-existent or piss poor, so naturally she'd speak in German to her kids.
I am also not surprised that in extension Vic & Albs spoke German and taught their kids, imo it's always best anyway to teach kids languages, esp your native tongue. Heads of state should speak several languages anyway. I am just astonished that the kids, 2nd/3rd generation English (more actually, when counting Vic's father's side), spoke such poor/heavily accented English.
I also expect Phil to be fluent or at least have good knowledge of various languages: German, Greek, French.
I read that allegedly Liz & Phil sometimes/often(?) speak French privately.
I am also astonished about the Wales boys' education. Diana was very keen on given them a good education, but why weren't they taught more languages? They just speak English, which compared to other heirs and their siblings, is sub-par and for future heir(s) is sub-par even without comparison... Will started to study History or Art and then Geography, which for a future monarch is also a bit off...
It is, some of it is difficult to watch I found it hard going especially in relation to Leopold.
There are some very interesting Family Dynamics in there, she really didn’t like her kids!
She blamed her eldest son for Alberts death, didn't she, because he caught pneumonia while going to see him to tell him off I thing about his excessive use of prostitutes!
Yes, for Victoria it's no wonder she spoke German, her mother (a German) came to England after her first marriage from Germany and never learnt English. That's what I read, in any case her English was either non-existent or piss poor, so naturally she'd speak in German to her kids.
I am also not surprised that in extension Vic & Albs spoke German and taught their kids, imo it's always best anyway to teach kids languages, esp your native tongue. Heads of state should speak several languages anyway. I am just astonished that the kids, 2nd/3rd generation English (more actually, when counting Vic's father's side), spoke such poor/heavily accented English.
I also expect Phil to be fluent or at least have good knowledge of various languages: German, Greek, French.
I read that allegedly Liz & Phil sometimes/often(?) speak French privately.
I am also astonished about the Wales boys' education. Diana was very keen on given them a good education, but why weren't they taught more languages? They just speak English, which compared to other heirs and their siblings, is sub-par and for future heir(s) is sub-par even without comparison... Will started to study History or Art and then Geography, which for a future monarch is also a bit off...
How do you know that they don't speak other languages, Eton must teach French, German and or Spanish surely? They seem to be the most popular languages taught in schools. I would be so nice and very impressive if they could go abroad and speak the native language. I think History art by default is the posh public school not too bright person's subject, I think Geog was an improvement, though Politics would have been a good one for him anyway.
She did, she really hated him with a passion, couldn’t bare to be in the same room & was very vocal about her dislike of him. Her use of Beatrice as an emotional crutch following Alberts death she really wouldn’t have won any prizes for her maternal skills.
I didn’t really know too much about her, so it was an eye opener for me.
*twitches* If you mean they can ask for a beer and say please and thank you in French or German, I’m sure they can. But not much more than that.
That’s pretty shocking about James Matthews
She’s got pretty muscular / sporty legs. you can see from her mum and sister that they are naturally slim.
when she first appeared on the scene she had some puppy fat.
Being constantly in the public eye, it would be normal to want to stay slim
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Agreed, it’s just a rumour imo and I’ve never once heard of it until reading it here.
In that film Victoria and Abdul (well worth a watch I found), Albert was portrayed as a total twit - but so was much of the rest of the Court at the time. And I felt portrayed Albert as a man desperate for his mother to die so he could be King and resented her majorly finding friendship with her Munshi who she became quite motherly towards.
It's been commented on by reporters and royal watchers (who can tell even more detailed who speaks which languages) and whenever Harry and Will spoke in a foreign language, eg Will in French when he did that quickie tour in France with Kate years ago, it was obvious he had no knowledge of the language.
I don't know which languages Eton teaches, or others, often you have to do one for a few years, but that's nowhere enough to become proficient. If you don't study hard during school and don't put in real work after school, you'll forget how to even say "Je m'appelle William".
When you look at other heirs, eg the Dutch or Belgian, they speak up to 4 languages!!
Victoria was a real piece of work, she hated and mistrusted Ed VII so much, she didn't prepare him at all for his future role. He wasn't allowed to know what was going on, wasn't allowed to do anything on his own (no project, charity or otherwise) and wasn't allowed insight into the ongoing politics or work.
So he was bored out of his mind, which is why he was such a hedonist as prince of Wales. He literally had nothing to do. It took the establishment a full year just to educate and bring Ed up to speed. That's also why new rulings were taken into effect, so that no heir would ever assume office and be this unprepared.
Him being so ignored and excluded by his mother is why he went full swing into work as soon as she died. Usually it's custom to not change much for a year after a monarch's death (as per their own customs), but he immediately ordered remodels of offices etc.
He couldn't wait to start doing something so in ways it is true that his mother's death was a relief in some ways.
Considering how unprepared he was, he was a rather effective and good king.
Vic blamed Ed for Albert's death, but going theories with today's medical knowledge are that Albert was quite ill anyway.
To blame their son for Albert's death is ridiculous anyway, no one made Albert walk in the rain. He could've had his talk with his son on a sunnier day or inside.
Crohn's or Collitis I read somewhere recently as a possibility for Alberts ill health
Oh yes I'd forgotten all about that. There's a conspiracy theory about him being linked to Jack the Ripper too!
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