Todd is at Buckingham Palace for lunch with Eleanor.
Eleanor: How are you feeling, dearie?
Todd: What about?
Eleanor: Your wedding is coming up very soon. I am certainly hoping that this one sticks, if you understand what I mean.
Todd: I know my divorce was traumatizing for you.
Eleanor: Not really. I had already stepped down by then, and the public had no interest in that story. It was not the public relations headache that your mother’s divorce was.
Todd: Good to know!
Eleanor: I am just speaking to you as a grandmother to her beloved grandson. I want the best for you. I see how happy you are with Norah, and I am very excited for the two of you to begin your lives together.
Todd: We have a kid, so I’d say we’ve already started our lives together. Marriage is nice, but it’s just a legal distinction. It won’t change much. I’m just excited to get to celebrate with everyone.
Eleanor: Marriage is a very important thing, and we take it quite seriously in this family. Your grandfather and I enjoyed over seventy years of marital bliss, and it was the foundation of this family.
Todd: Your connection was the family’s foundation, though, not necessarily the marriage certificate.
Eleanor: Are you casting doubt on the importance of marriage?
Todd: Not at all! I’m just saying, marriage isn’t necessarily what makes a family. I was married to Margo for seventeen years, but Norah and I feel far more like a family than Margo and I ever did. I rushed into marrying Margo, and that was partially a mistake. We had our good times, we had two wonderful children, but we weren’t a match. I’m not married to Norah yet, but I’m happier than I ever have been.
Eleanor: I am very glad to hear that. You two are a wonderful couple, even if her mother is… who she is.
Todd: That reminds me! What are we going to do about Meredith, in terms of family events?
Eleanor: None of the other in-laws force themselves in. She has no reason to join us, either.
Todd: Alicia’s mother does.
Eleanor: Well, that is different. Americans play by an entirely different set of rules!
Mandy: I’m tired, I want to go to bed!
Eleanor: Christine! Take Mandy to bed!
Christine: Why must I do it?
Eleanor: I am old! I need a babysitter myself, I can not be babysitting anyone else!
Christine: All right, fine. Mandy, let me go tuck you in.
Mandy: I want tea!
Christine: You just wanted to go to bed!
Mandy: Where am I?
Christine: Cambodia.
Mandy: How’d I get there?
Christine: Magic. Come on, to bed. I’ve got no time for this!
Todd: Well, I do think that’s my cue to get back to Norah and help her with the wedding preparations.
Eleanor: Oh, please do not let her make you feel rushed. Mandy has no idea what is going on around her, she was not trying to ruin our chat.
Todd: No, I didn’t think she was. I just do have to get back to Norah. I really do appreciate you inviting me for lunch. We should do this more often!
Eleanor: We should! Maybe we could even invite your sister next time!
Todd: Oh… no thank you.
Later that night…
Olivia: Isn’t it so nice to get to spend a day at home together?
Fred: Yes, very much so. You’re always on the run lately, doing work for your family. It’s selfish, but I have to admit I greatly miss our quiet days at home, gardening together, making dinner for one another, watching racing and football on the telly. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you and your family have reconnected, but I feel like I’ve lost you a bit.
Olivia: Never! You will always be my top pri-
Olivia’s phone begins to ring.
Olivia: Oh, it’s Claude! I have to answer.
Fred: See what I mean?
Olivia: Yes, but this is late for him, something may be wrong.
Fred: I understand, go ahead and answer.
Olivia: Thank you for the permission.
Fred: Don’t scoff at me, Olivia! You know what I meant!
Olivia answers the phone.
Olivia: Claude, what’s up?
Claude: Olivia… I do have some sad news.
Olivia: Did something happen at the Palace? Is it mum?
Claude: I don’t want to keep you, but I do think you’d want to know that our dear cousin Mandy died earlier tonight in her sleep.
Olivia: Excuse me?
Claude: I know, it’s upsetting.
Olivia: No, I didn’t hear you.
Claude: Mandy died today.
Olivia: Oh my goodness! What happened?
Claude: She was sleeping and she didn’t wake up. Christine tried to wake her for dinner, but she couldn’t. She didn’t feel a pulse, but we still called in medics and they confirmed she died. We don’t know what of, but we’ll find out soon. They suspect a stroke.
Olivia: That’s terrible! Do you want me to come over?
Claude: I don’t see what good that would do.
Olivia: We can mourn as a family!
Claude: I don’t mean to disrespect her memory in any way, but I see this as somewhat of a blessing. I will miss her, but in a way, we lost her a long time ago. She hasn’t been well. She’s been a shell of herself.
Olivia: Still, mum must be devastated. They’ve been inseparable since they were children. And I… I feel guilty. I was gone so long, she went from being this entirely coherent, brilliant woman to a walking danger to herself and others. I wish I hadn’t been selfish.
Claude: I know. I wish it as well.
Olivia: You’re supposed to tell me I wasn’t selfish!
Claude: I’m not going to lie!
Olivia: I think many of us make missteps here.
Claude: Sure. What I will say is she loved you very much despite the estrangement from the family, and she didn’t blame you for choosing yourself over our rigid rules. It was a point of contention for a while between her and mum, actually.
Olivia: She was a good woman. I must say, I’m surprised she even made it this long. For years, she’s looked like a stiff breeze could knock her over, like one sneeze could take her out.
Claude: Yes, as I said, I think it may be a blessing in disguise. But it will be hard to get used to her not being here. Ever since she’s been in this terrible state, she’s been a constant here at the Palace. She’s been living here longer than I have!
Olivia: You tried your best to pass her off to others, though!
Claude: you knew the state she was in. I think wanting a break from that is entirely understandable.
Olivia: No, I quite enjoyed having a ghost roaming my home when you made her stay with me. It felt like I was in a Scooby-Doo episode.
Claude: Well, I guess I ought to hang up now. I still have to let Ethan and Anthony know the news.
Olivia: Anthony won’t pick up, he’s too busy partying in Greece!
Claude: I still need to try and let him know what’s happened before he finds out on the news.
Olivia: I agree. I’ll see you tomorrow, Claude. I want to help with planning the funeral.
Claude: It’s already planned, dear! This has been anticipated for a long time, everything’s been pre-selected - some of it by Mandy herself, when she still had somewhat of a functioning brain.
Olivia: Well, I’d still like to come over to see you lot. I need someone to mourn with.
Claude: Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Again… try to remember the good times, and feel a sense of relief that she’s no longer in pain. I think it’s the best way to view this.
Olivia: You do have a point. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Olivia hangs up.
Fred: So I take it -
Olivia: I need a hug. And a shoulder to cry on.
Fred: I’m always here for that. Come here.
Olivia: I’m going to miss her. Why’d I have to waste so much time being angry? She wasn’t even angry with me! I’m a fool!
Fred: There is nothing we can do to change the past. We should simply appreciate the time we did get with those that we love.
The next day…
Gigi: Todd, have you heard the news?
Todd: I think the typical greeting when entering someone’s house is “Hello.” You should try it!
Gigi: Hello, Todd. Have you heard the news?
Todd: About Mandy? Of course I have. What a loss. She was a fantastic woman.
Gigi: She was a vegetable, but I loved her. It’s going to be so strange without her around, haunting every family event.
Todd: It’s such a downer, isn’t it? Especially to be happening right before my wedding.
Gigi: Our cousin is dead and you’re worrying about your wedding?
Norah: To be fair, I am forcing him to worry about it. I’ve been talking about it non-stop for weeks. I’m getting all the finishing touches in order!
Gigi: And you’ve not included me? That’s pretty reprehensible, but it’s not the point right now. Mum is going over to Buckingham with the family, we’re all going to have lunch and share remembrances of Mandy. She asked me to pick you up.
Todd: I’m a little busy. I’m busy considering if we should even go through with the wedding right now.
Norah: Excuse me! My cousins are flying in from Ireland -
Gigi: Northern Ireland, it’s literally in the same country we’re currently in.
Norah: I don’t want them to waste their money on accommodations. It’s too late to get refunded, no?
Todd: I just don’t think it’s appropriate to be married right now. I can pay them all back, that’s not a worry.
Norah: But if we don’t get married now, will we ever?
Todd: Of course! I love you, I want to be married to you, that’s never going to change. I just know I’m going to struggle to celebrate right now.
Norah: It’s my wedding, too. I don’t mind you wanting to postpone to mourn, but I would love to be included in the conversation.
Todd: You will be, of course! We’ve had an equal say in everything relating to this wedding, that’s not going to change now.
Gigi: Ah, Mandy. Even in death, she’s being an irritating inconvenience. I can’t put into words how much I’ll miss her.
Todd: She was wonderful. Even once she started to slip away from us, she was always happy and excited. She had a child-like wonder.
Gigi: Well, that’s because she had roughly the same mental capacity as one. But I understand what you mean.
At Buckingham Palace…
Olivia: Mum, how are you?
Eleanor: I was so cruel to her yesterday. I stuck Christine on her!
Christine: And I was crueler.
Claude: She frustrated all of us sometimes. I’m certainly not saying that to be mean, it’s simple fact. She couldn’t help herself..
Christine: My last conversation with her was mocking her confusion and then telling her to get in bed and “Stay there.”
Ethan: She took it literally! Might’ve been the first time in five years she actually listened to something one of us had said.
Eleanor: Ethan! That is awful!
Ethan: Is it wrong?
Claire: I think she is finally at peace now.
Alicia: I never knew her before her mind started to go. From what I’ve heard, though, she was a wonderful and amazing woman.
Nathan: She started a charity for starving children impacted by war and famine. It’s fed children in Bosnia, Africa, Ukraine, Gaza… anywhere there’s been strife, Mandy’s had a hand in making sure the children are fed.
Alicia: I didn’t know that.
Ethan: To be fair, again… she didn’t either during the time you knew her.
Selina: Stop making jokes about her! She just died!
Ethan: It’s how I cope!
Olivia: I’m going to miss her, too. I feel a lot of guilt, I should’ve been there for her. She showed me kindness after my divorce, she showed me kindness during my courtship with Fred. That could not be said about everyone in this room.
Selina: She just died and you’re using her to make petty digs at people? You’re sick!
Olivia: Shut up, Selina! She was my cousin, not yours!
Selina: I was there for her when her memory started to go! Were you? You always just irritated with her due to her medical condition.
Eleanor: Selina, shut up! My god, I am so sick of you attacking my daughter. Everyone else has let it go, why can you not? You’re using a family tragedy to score points and pretend you’ve been a better member of this family than her. Knock it off! Mandy would not want this, but you’re making this all about yourself, as you so often do. Grow up!
Ethan: Dear, you’ve upset her so much she began using contractions to reprimand you.
Selina: I think I ought to go sit with my thoughts outside.
Eleanor: Good! Maybe you’ll have matured by the time you walk back in that door! Jesus Christ!
Olivia: Mum, I really appreciate that.
Eleanor: I will always stand up for you. I have not always in the past, and Mandy always urged me to, and I know now she was right. I apologize.
Olivia: We’re past this. You don’t have to keep apologizing.
Eleanor: I do, though. I am your mother. A mother really ought to step in and defend her children when they need it.
Claude: You don’t defend me!
Eleanor: Says the King! You need to be strong enough to stand up for yourself!
Claude: I still have feelings, you know.
Christine: Oh, here he goes.
Gigi: You guys will never believe this!
Olivia: That you didn’t pick up your brother? I’d believe it.
Gigi: I tried to, he declined the invitation! He and Norah are too busy debating whether or not to push back the wedding!
Eleanor: Why on earth would they do that?
Gigi: Out of respect for Mandy!
Ethan: Why do that? It’s not like she knew there was a wedding coming up or anything.
Arthur: All right, I think that’s enough. No more drinks for you.
Ethan: I’m in mourning, Arthur!
Arthur: You’ve had more to drink today by one PM than I’ve had all year.
Claire: That isn’t saying much.
Olivia: I think Todd will make whatever choice he needs to make. I wouldn’t want my wedding overshadowed by sadness, either.
Gigi: But I had the perfect toast written! What if I lose it by the time the rescheduled date tolls around?
Claude: I think you’ll be able to live with it.
Ethan: Unlike poor Mandy! I promise, last one.
Later that week, at Mandy’s funeral…
Eleanor: First, I want to thank you all for joining us in celebrating the life of our dear Princess Amanda Renee Jarlsberg, my beloved cousin, daughter of Prince Joseph of Kent. My cousin was a wonderful woman who saw the best in people and worked to make our world better. She lived a long and happy life, and I was always right by her side. We were truly best friends. I helped her through the loss of her dear Edgar. Sadly, by the time I lost my Paul, Alzheimer’s had already taken away the Mandy who always knew what to say to cheer me up. However, I remembered what she said when she helped me navigate the loss of my parents, and those words kept me grounded. She was a constant source of inspiration in my life, and a constant source of positivity. She was proof of the good in humanity, a true angel among us. I am a believer in the Lord above us, and I know she is with Him now, having rightfully earned her angel wings. I know it will not be long before I join her in departing this earth. I hope I have done enough good to see her again. I will miss everything about her, but I am so grateful to have been gifted so much time with her.
Gigi: Thank God Todd moved the wedding back, my toast wasn’t coming anywhere close to that.
Olivia: Shh! You’re at a funeral!
Gigi: Am I not allowed to have thoughts at a funeral?
Olivia: Maybe keep them thoughts until after it’s over, okay?
Gigi: Freakin’ Mandy, always screwing me up.
What did you think of this week's episode of The Princess Royal? Let us know in the comments and make sure to read a new episode next week!
