The royal family comes together after the death of the queen, despite all differences. There were and always are many of them. Because in some ways the royals are not very different from other families.
Four children, eight grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren and granddaughters, the Queen was not only the monarch of the United Kingdom, but also a person with close family ties. Her office and the obligations associated with it may not always have been helpful. This is not the only reason why the various family members are closely observed in their grief. Because as in all larger families, Mountbatten-Windsors is not always sunny.
About the kind words that the new King Charles III. found for his mother after her death, one could almost forget that their relationship has been described as strained or even frosty for many years. And that wasn't just because Charles, despite his marriage to Diana, couldn't let go of his childhood sweetheart Camilla. In an authorized biography in 1992, Charles painted a picture of himself as a lonely little boy who hardly ever saw his parents. He described the relationship with the queen and his father as cold. Symbolic of this was the photo in which the Queen and Prince Philip shook hands with four-year-old Charles and his almost two-year-old sister Anne on their return from a six-month trip through the Commonwealth. Today, one would rather consider an intimate hug and warm kisses to be appropriate.
Also, the fact that he was forced to attend the same strict Scottish boarding school as his father, Prince Philip, he blamed not only on his father, who wanted it, but on his mother as well. She should have supported his idea of going to Eton, Charles felt. For years it was reported again and again how unhappy Charles was in Gordonstoun. Over the years, however, Charles began to realize that parenting concepts were changing and that his parents were only passing on what they themselves had experienced as children. On the jubilee, and even more so after her death, Charles found warm and loving words for his mother. Anyone who had observed the two in the last few years together saw touching gestures and looks that showed that mother and son were not only close, but also loved and respected each other.
His sister Anne questioned her parents and especially her mother far less. When asked whether Elizabeth II was more her mother or the queen for her, she once answered pragmatically: She is my mother and the queen. The brothers Andrew and Edward have always been credited with struggling for the position of favorite son. Proof of Andrew's role as a favorite was, among other things, that the Queen apparently paid part of the legal fees from the proceedings for his involvement in the abuse scandal surrounding the late Jeffrey Epstein. The fact that he accompanied the Queen to the memorial service for her husband Prince Philip, although he had to resign from all public duties in the royal family because of the allegations, was also noted with attention.
In fact, Prince Edward was probably the more or less secret favorite child of the queen and her husband. He was the only one of the royal children who managed not to get divorced. And the woman at his side, Sophie, developed a special relationship with the Queen after an initially bumpy start. It probably also contributed to the fact that both Edward and Sophie largely gave up their own business activities in order to carry out duties within the royal family.
While external perception focused primarily on the relationship with the Queen, there are numerous close connections between family members. It's safe to assume that in such a large family, not everyone appreciates each other equally. Zara Tindall, Princess Anne's daughter, and Princess Beatrice, Prince Andrew's older daughter, are said to have a particularly close relationship. Princess Eugenie has a close bond with her cousin Prince Harry. This was shown, among other things, by the fact that she lived in Frogmore Cottage in the meantime. The Queen gave Harry and his wife Meghan the residence. However, after their permanent departure to the United States, it was mostly uninhabited until Harry invited Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank to live there. Eugenie also visited Harry in California last year, where they attended the Superbowl together.
However, there is said to be a crisis between William's family and his cousins Eugenie and Beatrice. According to British newspapers, the reason for this is Prince Andrew, the father of the two women. They are campaigning for Andrew's return to the royal spotlight, heir to the throne William and his father, King Charles III. want to prevent this at all costs. William, Harry, Eugenie and Beatrice were almost inseparable as children. Many of these relationships probably arise because the living conditions are similar. It is probably the same with cousins who were born close in age and played together at family celebrations.
Charles' first wife, Diana, and Andrew's wife, Sarah Ferguson, were linked before they joined the royal family. Their mothers had gone to school together and were distantly related. Diana is said to have been the one who introduced Fergie Andrew, the sisters-in-law each had to find their place as the Queen's daughters-in-law. Despite the close proximity, they later became estranged. One reason may have been that Charles asked Diana why she couldn't be a little more like Fergie. However, British media reports have also rumored that Diana resented her former sister-in-law for telling the unflattering story in her 1996 autobiography, My Story, that she developed a wart after wearing a pair of shoes she was bought by Diana had borrowed.
Fergie, on the other hand, is said to have maintained a good relationship with the Queen even after their divorce. Only Prince Philip said he didn't want to see the mother of his granddaughters anymore after photos were published during one of her visits to Balmoral, where she was seen bare-breasted while Texas businessman John Bryan had her toes in his mouth. So she regularly left before he arrived.
At the Windsors, as in a study, it can be observed that family relationships are always changing. A conflict creates a rift, some take one side or the other, sometimes staying there for years, until an opportunity for reconciliation arises, the original quarrel is forgotten, or simply becomes irrelevant. This can be observed in the tense relationship between William and Harry. After Harry and his wife Meghan got out of royal duties in the so-called Megxit, there was an ice age between the brothers.
Reportedly, there weren't even plans for a brief meeting during Harry and Meghan's planned visit to the UK. But then, of all times, the Queen died and the brothers met at their grandmother's deathbed in Balmoral, Scotland. Although Harry left Scotland earlier and alone, the British surprisingly got to see William, Kate, Harry and Meghan again as the Fab Four shortly afterwards. Together they shook numerous hands in front of Windsor Castle and spoke to mourners. A text message from William to Harry is said to have paved the way for this. Also King Charles III. struck a conciliatory tone towards his second-born in his first speech. "I want to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives abroad," he said after making William the new Prince of Wales. Harry, in turn, combined the tribute to his grandmother with a promise that he would support his father as king.
The death of Prince Philip had already led to a short visit from Harry, Meghan and the children Archie and Lilibeth. It was on this occasion that the Queen also met the great-granddaughter who was named after her. Now, perhaps, her own death could mark the beginning of Harry and his family's reconnection with the royal family. It would probably be more than fine with her.
