I BLAME THE royal wedding. Though I was far from obsessed, let’s face it, the news of Kate and Wills was inescapable. Is that why my daughter started bringing home English history tomes from the school library?
In fact, my girl’s fascination with British royalty started last year, when she and her best friend determined to invite the current monarch to a special Valentine’s Day tea. Though that dream is as yet unrealized, my girl, in true fashion, hasn’t given up.
Her latest focus is arguably the British monarchy’s biggest-ever sensation, the king of appetites of all varieties, Henry VIII, his many wives, and most of all, that seductive cipher, Anne Boleyn. We’re in the thick of the story now, as Henry moves earth and heaven to get his way, to divorce Catherine and marry Anne. Both kids are fascinated by the dynamics of power and love at play in this story, even the much-sanitized version we’re reading, which omits, for example, the affair sister Mary Boleyn had with Henry before Anne caught his eye.
Theories abound on Anne–witchcraft! extra digits! deathbed writings!– making me feel that in her day, she must have been the focus of incessant gossip and attention, much like Duchess Catherine of Cambridge now, or Princess Diana before her. And even now, she inspires countless biographies, novels and films. Is it the royalty? The Reformation? Or just then, as now, the idea of a girl capturing the heart of a king?
My girl, meanwhile, likes the idea of lavish jewels heaped upon her, banners flying at jousts, and rides in a carriage drawn by flashy steeds. But the idea of wedding a king, past or future? She pronounced on the morning of the wedding her definitive take on the matter. “I don’t want to be a princess. I don’t really care about princesses, except Jasmine. But when are they going to smooch?”
I think my level headed daughter has it right: study the royals, their place in fascinating histories, sure–but cast your ambitions elsewhere.
