Empathy for Our Queen? ( As a Mother)

I was brought up to respect the Royal Family was a matter of course, but it has become harder over the years.

None of the Queen's children have behaved themselves well. I remember thinking as a teenager that if I had behaved as Princess Anne sometimes did, I wouldn't have been able to sit down for a week.

A few years ago, one of the two Spanish princesses warmed Prince Andrew's ears, remarking that she couldn't take it upon herself to say whether his language befitted the Duke of York, but it certainly wasn't what an Infanta of Spain was accustomed to having to listen to. He actually attempted to slap her back - nice gentlemanly conduct, and was only prevented by the then Prince Willem of the Netherlands grabbing his arm.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were responsible for bringing their children up and I cannot pretend to say, whether they are or are not responsible for the way their adult children behave.

Most of us feel that we tried to teach our children what we thought was right, when they were small, but that now they are adult they have the right to choose what they think is right.

So no, I don't feel particularly sorry for the Queen, but honestly her children are no credit to her, although not worse than most of their ancestors.

How could anyone think it would be OK to inflict Andrew on any 'far flung' country? What has any other nation done to deserve him?
I imagine he's quite easily convinced the queen that he did nothing wrong, that the girls were over the age of consent and that it's all a Fuss About Nothing. If so, then no I don't feel sorry for her. That interview with the brilliant Emily Maitlis came across as a lesson in how to be breathtakingly arrogant but he won't be the only one in the royal family to approach this event in that way. I expect they all blame the press for stirring it up.

I wonder what antics too merlot , and oh the shame, my husband was in a car crash too.

Grammaretto Charlie's antics? What have I missed?

I feel quite sorry for the whole lot of them !
None of us (unless your name is Kim Kardashian) know what it is like being constantly in the public eye and criticised constantly.
PA is in a lot of ways typical of his class - money but little sense! He also seems to have the attitude , dating back to Victorian times, that anyone in aristocracy can do what they like and it will be hushed up. He made a bad choice of a "friend" when all is said and done and because the culprit in this story decided to take his own life so couldn't be held up to public scrutiny, let's just pick on his mate!
The photo of PA and the Queen would most probably have been taken months before then published at the required time just to point fingers. Quite frankly, I no longer buy a newspaper because of their warped reporting and twisting facts .

No wonder she goes straight to see her horses whenever she gets home. Have you noticed that she only smiles in company with her animals or at the races!
Who breaks the news to her over her cornflakes?
Ugh bad enough to have one wayward child but what with Prince Philip crashing about in the range rover and Charlie and his antics. I'm surprised she didn't take to drink years ago.
Edward stays below the radar but remember when he was filming Wills at St Andrews?

You see even without trying I know more about the Royals than I know about my own family.
Yes I do feel sorry for Queenie. I think the monarchy will dissolve after her.

The Queen has weathered many a storm in her time and I think this is just another one. I also agree with the sentiment posted earlier of innocent until proven guilty....the media have had a field day with this one....?everyone has too much to say imo and we need to wait a while for the truth to out.

sodapop good post!

sarah what a pathetic childish post - clearly nothing of any value to contribute to the thread then?

Judging by some of the problems on GN a lot of families have their difficulties. The Queen's are just more public than most.

She certainly does seem to have more than her fair share of wastrels - perhaps that’s what extreme wealth and privilege does to people.

I can’t say I feel much sympathy to her. To the people who have fallen victim to her children and husband, yes, but not to her particularly.

While the experiences of the victims are shocking, nobody is really that shocked/surprised that PA was involved. He has a history of bad behaviour so its hardly wildly out of character.

If I was to hear that say prince William was involved in something like that I would be VERY shocked/surprised, but is anyone really surprised about PA? No.

susiewoosie
I am sure the queen would have been deeply disturbed was it known to her she had lost your respect by allowing herself to be photographed in the presence of her son.

I feel for Beatrice and Eugiene too

Re the Queen, we do not know. She may have been tearing her hair out over him for years or she may have been excusing and enabling his bad behaviour behind the scenes

It's his continuing arrogance that gets me. No remorse whatsoever toward those he's hurt. It would serve him right if he gets extradited at some point that would wipe away the arrogance.

We all have our crosses to bear throughout life for one reason or another and the Queen is no different, except that we're not in the public arena, which over the years has been quite challenging for her especially over Diana's death when the public turned against her as that must have felt dreadful.

However, she's been strong and still continues to be so ,like her mother before her.

loopylou - "I suspect a great deal more is about to be exposed hence getting him away from the public eye before he digs himself deeper into the sh1t."
I think you've hit the nail on the head there. I suspect there will be several more revelations in the media over the coming weeks and months and none of them shining a positive light on Andrew.

My husband was in the Royal Navy around the same time that Andrew was serving. He never served with him, but has said that no one he has ever spoken to who did serve with him, had a good word to say for him.

I remember Andrew on the night that Windsor Castle was on fire, running around like a thoroughly over-excited schoolboy, flitting from one set of TV cameras to another, and lapping up the limelight. Thoroughly un-Royal.

I'm sure she is mortified.

This is in a whole different league as far to the usual family ups and downs.

Yes, I do feel sorry for her.

Apologies for ignoring the OP and simply responding to MawB. Yes, I do feel for the Queen, it's awful when adult children, especially those in their 60's go so badly wrong. Especially when it's in public and shames the firm. And involved the sexual exploitation of vulnerable teenage girls. Yuk

MawBroon - are we distantly related? I only ask because your earlier suggestion about a far flung corner of the colonies (the antipodeans) was what I suggested for PA earlier this week. If only I was his mum/the Queen I said to Mr Iam, he'd be off to some far flung corner of our empire, oh B, we don't have one - well the commonwealth then.

I suspect his older brother had a hand in PA reaching this decision. Yes, the issue of paying him from the public purse has to be considered. Who is going to foot the bill for his daughter's wedding next year? I know there will have to be security, no argument from me about the cost of that but why can't she buy a frock on eBay and have a festival party like everyone else?

Empathy for the Queen?, not really ... no.

Following the BBC announcement that P Andrew is stepping back from public life, he will presumably decline his £250,000 annual income from the Crown.
Then he could retire quietly to his £13million Swiss Chalet or his 30 room Lodge in Windsor.

He will still be getting his money from the civil list if he wasn't a royal he would probably loose his job and have no income so he is like Harry having a good holiday on taxpayers money . I think he should lose his title as well its time the civil list was whittled down .

I wonder if she ever asks herself why her family have had so many ‘problems’

We can’t compare HMs relationship with PA to any normal mother son relationship. He’s always been completely dependent on her for money ( I hardly think he could live on an RN officers salary) and therefore ‘employed ‘ by her in dressing up in finery and appearing on balconies and at state banquets. He appears ( or did) at all major functions and was part of the so-called firm. Therefore how he behaved in his private life was of great import and she should have been thinking of the country and what we have a right to expect. Apart from the JE connection, he has long had links with a range of extremely rich and unsavoury oligarchs ( which probably explains ski lodges etc). It was her duty to make sure that he was fit for purpose by instructing others not just to indulge him.

I feel for her. She carries on through it all: Charles & Diana, Randy Andy, Andy & Fergie, all the divorces, all Prince Philip's gaffes, Harry & Meghan, Andrew again; at her age and she's still head of state.

I wonder if anyone ever asks her if she's OK.

Yes, loopylou this could be the tip of a very sleazy and corrupt iceberg.