Page 104 of The English Queen

“I only want to spend more time with you all,” Maggie sobbed.

Keir was in tears. “Magpie, it will never be enough. It’s never gonna be enough for me or for any of us. It won’t be enough for you. You have to listen to what the therapist says. Make peace. Stop lashing out and pushing people away. Yer so stubborn, hen! It upsets all of us. The kids… they think yer out to get ‘em.”

Robbie struggled to see his father cry. He wiped away his own tears now. Watching Maggie fade into a shell of her former self, as he remembered watching his grandmother do when he was a child, was hard enough. Watching his father slowly lose the love of his life was more difficult. Keir would have to go on and survive without Maggie. Maggie would be at peace. Keir wouldn’t have the satisfaction of peace. The children knew everyone would have to pick Keir up. Well, everyone but Robbie. Robbie would struggle to keep up with the job. Most of the burden would be shouldered by Vanna, Duncan, and Elliot.

“It won’t be,” Duncan’s voice squeaked from being so choked up. “But we will do our best, Mummy.”

“I can’t read this.” Maggie was resolute somehow. “I cannot read this. I am… I am beyond this point. Robert, I think we release it as a letter.”

“Mother, it would be so much better coming from you,” Duncan insisted.

“Duncan,” Robbie’s voice was quiet and steady, “it’s fine. Mum has the right to say no. and people will understand. They have no choice. She has given years of service to The Crown and the people despite it never being her destiny from the onset. They want her to rest. They will understand.”

Maggie looked at Robbie as if grateful for his giving her leave.

“It’s okay, Mum. It will be okay. You have done so much. Let me carry this one. Your words are true. People will see how genuine and raw this has been for you. After all, it was you who first made public your previous cancer struggles. Most monarchs would have buried that. They never would have spoken about it. The point was it was something new, something scary, and people have appreciated your vulnerability. You owe them a statement. You don’t owe them a speech.”

“I’m not in my right mind, as Papa said,” Maggie agreed. “I will… this will be too hard for me. I am exhausted. I need to lie down.”

“Of course, mother,” Robbie said.

“Go ahead and do the release. We’re going to retreat. And, tomorrow, I will join you at Privy Council.”

Robbie nodded at his father, “Take care of yourself, Mummy. We love you. Please take rest.”

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From the Desk of the Queen-

Tonight, I write to you from Windsor Castle. This was planned as a media address. However, I am not well enough to make it through this address. My health is waning. My resolve to serve this country remains at an all-time high but my body will not allow me to continue. It is my greatest wish to leave the people of Britain with a capable monarch who can fill that role rather than to hang on until the end. As my aunt left the post to me at the top, I would like to go out knowing that while I was not perfect, I did my absolute best.

Tomorrow, the Prince Regent will hold a meeting of the Ascension Council at St. James’s Palace. There, with my representatives, the Prince of Wales will take the oath and become King Robert II of The United Kingdom. This is my wish. Robert has been standing in this role for most of the past year, as he did when I fought my breast cancer. However, I will not recover from this cancer. While I remain committed in heart and soul to my nation, I am unable to serve in any capacity. Robert will do job with every bit of my previous energy.

Prince Robert and his family will need your support as they begin his reign. Princess Vanora will be an excellent consort, but will take on fewer duties than did the Duke of Inverness at the beginning of my reign. She will spend the necessary time helping her children thrive, as any Briton would want.

This transition has been planned over many months and with the consultation of my children, The Duke of Inverness, Privy Council, my sister the Duchess of Lauderdale, and the Prime Minister and his cabinet. It has been affirming to see these stakeholders lift me up in a time of extreme stress. I am forever grateful for their counsel and never-ending support. It speaks to the never-surrender attitude of Britons and our natural resiliency as a nation. Lift up your neighbours. As I have learned, you will never know what you might need in the future.

I leave this institution knowing I did my best. I was never unimpeachable. Robert never will be, either. However, my son and his family will continue the tradition of this institution. He will stand for all that you do and represent a modern Britain. His wife will support and counsel him as she always has. And, perhaps what brings me the greatest peace in this, is that someday my wonderful grandchildren will step into these roles as my children did when I needed them to.

This is a bittersweet day for me. I am proud of my family. I will never take for granted the time that I had to serve all the people of our great nation. It is hard to step back and call it. However, I remind myself that retirement isn’t a defeat. It is knowing when it is best to hand the duty over to fresh eyes. You are in the best of hands.

As always, your humble servant,

-Her Majesty Queen Margaux

God Save the King

From the Desk of the King-

Today, the Queen and I would like to extend our love and support for the British Royal Family as they plan for an exchange in power between the long-serving Queen Margaux and its Prince Regent Robert. As you all are very aware, Queen Bethany’s mother has struggled with many health problems stemming from terminal cancer. She has decided it is time to hand the role to her son. Having been through this change under duress, I am especially empathetic to the family’s challenges on this day.

We remain in support of her family, ever-connected to our British allies through both our shared history and our marriage. While The Queen and I had planned to travel to the UK to view the handover from Queen to King, the Queen’s doctors feel this too risky at this time. We will be staying in Belgium for now and will travel later to the UK to congratulate the new King Robert II.

At this time, my wife and I ask that you keep the British Royals in your thoughts. It is an end as well as a beginning. Queen Margaux’s health has caused many of a great deal of worry. It has also given us all time to think about what matters most. Family, for all of us here in Belgium, is precious. It is irreplaceable—whether by blood or by choice. May you and your families have good health and happiness.

-HM King Louis

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