Queen mother

In 1559, at 40 years old, Catherine took her first steps into the political spotlight after her husband's death.

She insisted on being called Queen Mother, rather than Dowager, which solidified the image of herself she wanted to project, that of a loving and devoted mother, and the title amplified her closeness to the next monarch, her son Francis.

Francis II, Catherine's oldest son, became King of France at the age of 15.

His coronation was held in Rheims on the 21st of September, 1559.

In 1575, a particularly influential manuscript by an anonymous author, titled Discours Merveilleux de la Vie, Action et Déportement de Catherine de Medici, blamed Catherine for the massacre and denounced her as the epitome of female evil.

The manuscript became a bestseller and triggered an avalanche of propaganda and accusations against Catherine.

Her reputation as a devoted queen mother was permanently blackened and old prejudices against her as a duplicitous Florentine and power-hungry Medici resurfaced.

The black clothes she wore as an ongoing sign of her loyalty to her late husband were turned into the costume of an angel of death.

was another saucy old queen.

So yeah, so Backstairs Billy was famously the Queen Mother's most trusted servant for 50 years.

Wow, okay.

So he was there right through the Queen Mother's reign into her decline.

And, yeah, they had quite an interesting relationship.

Yeah.

Obviously, the Queen Mother was widowed.

You know, she famously said, I'm the world's most famous widow.

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Is that the, the whole question of Diana and Charles, their marriage wasn't arranged, but the principal story is that Queen Mother and, uh, Ruth, Lady Fermoy, one of her particular colleagues and allies, thought that Diana, because she was so young, with an, as they thought it at the time, unblemished past, would be the perfect bride for the King, and that in itself seems almost 18th century.

It is like Georgina, Duchess of Devonshire, herself a Spencer, being chosen for her beauty and innocence to, to marry the magnate.

And I think in a way, one of the things that has changed over the last 30 years is that our sense of what a royal marriage should look like has evolved, so it is no longer the case that you have to pick a young flower of the aristocracy just as it's coming into bud-

As mother of the new sultan, she would now rule the roost in the harem.

The role of Queen Mother was, in a sense, an invention of Nurbanu's for Nurbanu.

She's the first woman who acquired the title of Walide Sultan, Queen Mother, Empress Dowager.

The Sultan bases his policies principally on the advice of his mother, yet appearing to him that he could have no other advice as loving and loyal as hers.

She corresponded as the mother of the Sultan with Catherine de' Medici, Queen Mother of France.

And the Venetian ambassador wrote, all good and all ill come through the Queen Mother.

She was absolutely top dog in the hurry.

But she was still watching out for her son's career because she rose and fell with him.

But four speeches in a 70-plus year reign.

And it reminded me of what the Queen Mother used to say about, if you wanna be a successful royal, and be loved by the people, never complain, never explain, and rarely be heard speaking in public.

Now, with all due respect to Meghan and Harry-

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[laughs]

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So on every single criteria, they have blown the Queen Mother's guide, which is why maybe they poll so badly.

I mean, the Queen Mother had a great life, she was a fantastic lady.