In honor of Mother's Day, here is a scene from my upcoming book between Crown Prince Edward and his mother Queen Ann.
“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”
“You’re quoting Shakespeare to me?” he asked without turning around.
“The crown isn’t easy, son,” she said. “The actual weight is nothing compared to the mental weight. The monarchy isn’t always posing for pictures and waving to the people from the balcony.”
“I know,” he said as he turned to face his mother. “But you made it look easy.”
“Your father was a big help. It’s one reason I gave him the matrimonial crown. I knew I would need his help as more than a Prince Regent,” she said as she crossed her ankles.
“Are you suggesting I find some woman and make her my queen?”
She sighed and shook her head.
“No. Finding a woman strong enough to rule beside you won’t be easy. I was lucky with your father. What you don’t know is I fought Parliament. They did not want me to give him power equal to my own. Standing up to them on one issue made them see I wasn’t some woman playing queen. What you need to remember is the power lies within you. They all want a piece of your power. Each piece you share is a piece you won’t get back,” she said as she stood up.
He looked at his mother. Really looked at her.
Standing in front of him wasn’t his mother. It was his queen. This woman took the throne when the Prime Minister and Parliament were all men. Every person in control in the country were men. His mother wasn’t the first woman to take the throne. But she was the first to take an active role in ruling. From his research, the past queens were passive in their reigns.
His mother changed the narrative.
“Thank you for being the amazing woman you are,” he said as he walked around the desk to her. “Thank you for ruling the country as a queen and not as the wife of a king.”
He pulled his mother into his arms and hugged her. Years vanished as she wrapped her arms around him. Although he was taller than her, he still felt like the little boy who ran to her with his boo-boos.
When he released her, he watched as she wiped away the tears.
“I wasn’t anything special, Edward. I did what I could and learn some lessons the hard way. I want you to remember the man you are before the crown. You will need him,” she said as she smiled.
He nodded as she walked out of the room. Turning, he saw the battlefield picture and thought about his mother’s advice. He would not lose himself to the throne.
Glass throne is up for pre-order on Amazon.
