Prior to her accession, then-Princess Elizabeth was trained for her future role as the Queen of England and was even brought up “not to wear her heart on her sleeve, and to keep her emotions to herself.”
In the 2005 book “The Firm” written by Penny Junior, she claimed that Her Majesty the Queen found it “very hard” to show her emotions in public, unlike other members of the royal family such as the Prince of Wales and the Queen Mother.
Meanwhile, the new documentary “The Queen and Charles: Mother and Son” detailed how the Queen struggled to hide her affection to her son Prince Charles during his early years.
Royal biographer Angela Levin claimed that when the Prince of Wales was only four weeks old, then-Princess Elizabeth was forced to “maintain her dignity” and keep her emotions under control during his eldest son’s christening.
“You would think it would be such an emotional moment. Here’s the heir to the throne, that she would absolutely want to spend some private time with him. Holding him, caressing him, maybe even shed a tear,” the royal biographer furthered. “But no, the Queen had to maintain her dignity.”
Levin added that displaying little to no affection does not mean the Queen doesn’t care about her children. It’s just another unspoken rule in the monarchy.
“It’s not that she loved him less, it’s that she would certainly not show it in public because it wasn’t the done thing to do,” Levin added.
Royal Duty Before Family
As Her Majesty the Queen carries out her role in the British monarchy, her dedication to her duties means having less time with her family.
With this, she was once criticized as a cold and distant mother to her children.
In 1994, Prince Charles opened up about his disappointment with being separated from his parents for a long period of time when growing up. The heir to the throne was alone most of the time due to his parents’ engagements abroad and various royal duties.
He recalled how her “emotionally reserved” parents were absent during his childhood and as a result, he grew up being taken care by nannies who “taught him to play” and witnessed his “first steps.”
Princess Anne Slammed Critics
On the other hand, the Queen’s only daughter, Princess Anne, once publicly disagreed with the critics saying that Her Majesty is an uncaring mother.
“I simply don’t believe there is any evidence whatsoever to suggest that she wasn’t caring. It’s just beggars belief,” she mentioned in her interview with BBC back in 2002 to mark the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.
The royal added that they understand their roles and limitations in the monarchy and the things that the Queen had to sacrifice in order to serve the crown.
“But I don’t believe any of us for a second thought she didn’t care for us in exactly the same way as any other mother did,” she furthered at the time.