Agree. It really is extraordinary how much trouble one mischievous woman fuelled by ambition and spite can cause. I couldn’t think of any historical woman who has simultaneously achieved so much and so little, relentless in her machinations whilst unable to stick with any plan long enough to fulfill expectations.
Quite a few women have married up/in and taken over but they have generally had real determination and intelligence enabling them to achieve more than mere notoriety.
She shares some traits of Catherine the Great (as reported by the British ambassador) : “ while she possesses in a high degree the weaknesses vulgarly attributed to her sex—love of flattery, and its inseparable companion, vanity; an inattention to unpleasant but salutary advice; “.
But Catherine wouldn’t have achieved greatness without some intelligent use of her power, expanding the Russian empire, building new cities and universities and modernising some aspects of Russian society.
I really can’t think of anyone quite like her. She certainly is much like Undine Spragg in many ways, and like her is destined never to be happy with her lot. But whilst Undine could be unkind, heartless even, she wasn’t spiteful and fuelled by a desire for revenge.
I don’t believe she’ll ever leave Harry for the simple reason she has aged out (and has too much baggage) and passed the time when she might have hooked a careless billionaire. Harry (and all of us and the Royal family) are stuck with her.