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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to feel sorry for Queen Anne?

252 replies

64BooLane · 07/03/2018 13:02

I’m reading something that mentions her in passing quite a bit.

Didn’t know a lot about her but apparently she had 17 - SEVENTEEN - pregnancies, and none of the children lived to grow up. And then she was widowed and became alcoholic, gouty and obese, for which she was widely mocked. Added to all of this, it sounds as if she really didn’t enjoy being Queen and felt a lot of guilt about the end of the Stuarts. Then she died at forty-nine.

I mean, that really just sucks so much that I can’t get it out of my head. I’m not well versed in English history though, so I’m not very clear on her other qualities, such as whether she was astute/intelligent/thoughtful etc.

Should I read more about her? Any MN historians around? Any recommendations for books about that period?

OP posts:
PerfectlySymmetricalButtocks · 07/03/2018 14:32

A portaloo sounds strangely downmarket for a Royal.

liz70 · 07/03/2018 14:32

"1080s. Obvs. Confused

It was a project by William the Conqueror to bring the differing social strata of the country together by raising money for the future England football team."

Of course. I feel so silly now. Blush

IMightMentionGriddlebone · 07/03/2018 14:32

On a serious note, I feel that our present monarch shouldn't have called her daughter Anne. It's led to terrible misunderstandings. She should have tried something light and modern, like Debbie.

PerfectlySymmetricalButtocks · 07/03/2018 14:33

Karen.

liz70 · 07/03/2018 14:34

"A portaloo sounds strangely downmarket for a Royal."

Just spray paint it gold and it's good to go. Totally Royal Arse worthy.

liz70 · 07/03/2018 14:35

Princess Kylie has a nice ring.

fusushumi · 07/03/2018 14:35

I learnt a lot about her in an excellent play called "Queen Anne" by Helen Edmundson I saw last autumn - it was an RSC production with Romola Garai & Emma Cunniffe. If a touring production comes near you I recommend it

IHaveBrilloHair · 07/03/2018 14:36

Though that's then PK and look what confusion that might cause with all this KP business.

IMightMentionGriddlebone · 07/03/2018 14:37

Linda.

BBC Newsreader: "Her Royal Highness, Princess Linda, addressed 400 people today, following a charity event [...]"

Graphista · 07/03/2018 14:40

Jean Plaidy and Philippa Gregory historically accurate? Erm you need to read some NON fiction history!

While I sympathise greatly with her personal tragedies, as a Scot of Irish descent, not really a fan.

eddiemairswife · 07/03/2018 14:40

I was going to recommend Ungrateful Daughters, but someone beat me to it.... a very readable book by historian Maureen Waller.

PerfectlySymmetricalButtocks · 07/03/2018 14:41

Or Sarah.

Eltonjohnssyrup · 07/03/2018 14:41

Funnily enough my family had a Queen Anne commode. Which is a vair posh portaloo.

IveGotStupidHair · 07/03/2018 14:41

perfectly it was very much an upgrade from the rest of the toilets!

PerfectlySymmetricalButtocks · 07/03/2018 14:43

Oh dear. I probably don't want to know.

liz70 · 07/03/2018 14:44

Did QA have PSB, I wonder?

Original poster
64BooLane · 07/03/2018 14:48

Oh wow - thanks for replies! and sorry for vanishing - been working, just catching up

OP posts:
Viviennemary · 07/03/2018 14:50

I don't know much about her but knew she had all these pregnancies and no live child. Very sad. Katherine of Aragon had a lot of infant deaths and still births as well but did have the one living child. Pregnancy and childbirth must have been a nightmare for a lot of women in those days.

JaneEyre70 · 07/03/2018 14:50

I saw the play at the RSC Swan Theatre at Stratford, Natasha McElhone was literally spell binding. One of the best pieces of theatre I've ever had the pleasure to watch. I hadn't really heard of Queen Anne up until then, but read quite a bit afterwards. Such a tragic life, really, can you even begin to imagine losing all those children Sad. I had one stillbirth and it nearly killed me.

x2boys · 07/03/2018 14:52

Princess Anne came to a furniture shoo near me a few weeks ago its a very nice furniture shop but I can't quite recall why she was there (it was in the local news)

Mrsdraper1 · 07/03/2018 14:52

Lucy Worsley did a documentary series on the BBC a while back called Fit to Rule: Stuarts to Hanoverians, there is an episode which covers Anne and her sister Mary (of the band William & Mary) which was pretty interesting. I remember her mentioning William's terrible health and Anne's toxic friendship with Sarah Marlborough.
Felt pretty sorry for Anne, YANBU

x2boys · 07/03/2018 14:53

Shop*

Mrsdraper1 · 07/03/2018 14:53

I meant to say it's on youtube if you want to watch it.

Hygge · 07/03/2018 14:54

IveGotStupidHair - The Queen recently visited DH's work and they had a special portaloo built as well. It even had a red carpet leading to it. They had someone standing next to it (outside, not inside it with her) at all times to make sure only the Royal bottom got to sit on it.

Original poster
64BooLane · 07/03/2018 14:57

Thread is both surreally funny and sad/interesting. Thanks for book recs, esp non-fiction. Arf at 1987/general confusion/Debbie.

Fair point about it still being a life of privilege, GreyGardens

OP posts:
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