CousinAmy

I think Elizabeth and Philip exchanged letters during the War years. In the Netflix documentary, it says that the King was unhappy because he wasn't prepared for "the family" - the four of them - to be broken up so soon. (He seems to have been a lovely man who adored his daughters.) But E & P were well-suited for each other in terms of rank - as fellow royals, they hit the jackpot with each other. He couldn't have done better than E, and she couldn't have done better unless there were other spare princes (handsome, educated, intelligent) floating around Europe.

I should know this, but I still have trouble untangling these relationships: why would she?

Industrial Revolution meant the rise of the great fortunes - while the rich got richer, the poor got poorer. Think about the abject poverty in the novels of Charles Dickens.

Yes, the finale is a Christmas episode. They seem to do this with all their "family" dramas. I am sure Victoria had post-partum depression, but there were also other factors. Each time she got pregnant, she was sidelined for months at a time - before the birth, and after, her power and influence was diminished. Now that there's a healthy little prince, it would be nice if her family was complete. But instead she goes through this over and over.

I don't know who Drummond and the man he's attracted to are. Have they been there the whole time?

I hope I didn't drop a spoiler in the episode thread. Lord M died in 1848, the Prince of Wales was born in 1841. Why did they need to kill him off early? (Contractual obligations on the part of the actor? It makes no sense.)

There a new series starting April 8. Unforgotten. I guess they have a surplus of masterpieces to present.

The next 5 weeks are singles, including the season finale, Episode 7, which is 90 minutes.

Edited due to spoiler policy, regarding a lapse in chronology. I added it on the History thread.

I don't know if you have ever been a teenage girl, but Philip was handsome, charming, probably quite clever - she was a teenager and had a crush on him. As for the other way around - Elizabeth was pretty, but not a knock-out, not known to be especially clever - what did he see in her?

Philip knew before they were married - before he met her - that Elizabeth would be the Queen of England. He probably had his eye on her future self when she was a child (he lived in Windsor Castle for awhile - he was well aware of her.) I know all about gender roles - my parents were also young adults at the same time. My father was embarrassed in 1960 that my mother had to go to work to help pay the bills. I just expect more from someone who definitely married way, way up.

They are talking about a pretty invasive surgery or two - so she needs to be in the best possible condition. Have they ever mentioned her blood pressure? Even children and teens can have hypertension due to overweight, and that could be another risk factor for her. I hope she does lose that weight - but mostly I think she has to get control of whatever is eating her.

I remember seeing her as a little child saying she knew she was a girl. She was very insistent. I can't remember when I first "knew" I was a girl - it's not a decision I made consciously. (My brother did the rough and tumble stuff, and I played with dolls. What can I tell you? It was the 1950s and everyone just knew their place). Whatever Jazz was feeling, she convinced her parents that she was a girl.

I just keep thinking of Dash as a Kardashian's dog!

I don't remember little Jazz being depressed. From the earliest specials she expressed the desire to wear dresses and tiaras and sparkly things like her big sister did. I commented very early on that she had no conception of being a girl, other than an obsession with clothes and hair. There was no body dysmorphia when she was that age (they started allowing her to wear "girl clothes" when she was in kindergarten, I think) just a desire for the externals that differentiated girls - "sparkles" from boys -"gross." I wish someone would have a discussion with her about what being a woman means, now that she's had a lot of time to live with this. She goes on panels to talk about being transgender, but what makes a person, a woman? "Boobs and a beautiful vagina"? That's all she ever talks about. I'm from a much older generation, so my frame of reference might not be relevant anymore, but what about the emotional aspects of being a woman vs. being a man? What about the need for women to be more assertive, less passive? And what career path is she aiming for - by 16 she should be thinking about college, at least. Does she realize as a woman it will be harder to get hired, she'll most likely get paid less, and she will be excluded from opportunities that a man will be afforded? Instead all she focuses on are her surgeries that are literally superficial, and ignores the rest.

The very essence of patriarchy - even though the Queen is the Queen, her spouse still wants to assert himself. Why couldn't Philip take a back seat and support Elizabeth the way Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon supported George VI?

Don't forget Philip had already gone through the whole "last name" fiasco that seemed to be very important to him as a husband/father of his time - and he lost that battle. Elizabeth had to grant him some responsibility in raising the children so he wouldn't feel emasculated. It's hard to know how much either parent actually played with the children when the cameras weren't on - I suppose we will find out when Charles or Anne writes a tell-all?

I kinda have to stand up for real-life Philip here (just briefly because it's off-topic) but he had a bad start with the "last name" kerfuffle, then MIL moved into the Palace ("You'll hardly notice I'm here") seemingly to preserve the Windsor traditions. Phil was a forward-thinker, but was ground down by the gears of the monarchy. But he was interested i science and educational projects. Albert and Victoria seemed to have a much more robust love life; both were strong-willed but I think they learned to work it out. I know Vicky was pregnant almost constantly throughout their marriage; did Albert take advantage of that down time to move forward on some of his pet projects?

I'm sorry, it looks like it's blocked for copyright infringement.

The Documentary is on YouTube - it's the BBC version at 58 minutes. She's a real hoot - funny and charming, and she certainly doesn't speak in that pinched accent that we heard in The Crown! Just a regular, upper-class British accent. I think she is probably quite fun when the family gets together.

Even with the best insurance this process is going though cost a lot of $$$. With the network paying for transportation and probably hotels, meals, etc. it takes a huge load off Mom and Dad. I can't see them ending the show voluntarily.

I think both princesses were very sheltered when it came to common, everyday life. Neither went to school - I believe - so although they were taught history and lived through the horrors of the War, they were not in touch with the lives of the "little people." And Elizabeth, at first, tended to let men tell her what to do. So if a man handed her a speech, she was not going to criticize it. Gradually she developed a backbone, but she was still pretty new at this Queen stuff.

I'm so disgusted by Jazz's immense privilege - as a child of affluent parents, she wants for nothing. (I assume that TLC is paying for the flights back and forth to Dr. Bowers, and I wouldn't be surprised if she gets her own show.) She will be getting the surgery that others have to save for, for years! And yet she can't stop complaining about every single thing. From the previews it looks like involving her brothers in her weight loss will be a storyline. When she does lose enough weight to be a candidate for surgery, I have a feeling that the weight will return soon after, if she doesn't get at the root of her depression. I have a deep-seated, lifelong depression and a binge-eating disorder. I wonder if there is a deeper pain than her gender dysphoria? Or will she finally be happy when she finally has her female "equipment" installed?

What does William call her? Catherine? Such a formal name. Fashion bloggers Tom and Lorenzo and the Bitter Kittens call her Cathy Cambridge which is as good a name as any.

But how would we know? There are decades between then and now (or, say, the '70s to the '90s) and he could have been quietly stepping out all along. Maybe this is written to let us think - whew! They dodged a bullet back in the 1950s - but he must have had ample opportunities since.