❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜

❝They know, they all know. It's like our
lives are a drama being performed

❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜

TW: mention of suicide

Elizabeth, Margert, Anne and The Queen Mother have a tradition of having dinner together once a month. The four Windsor women find themselves looking forward to it, after all, they hardly see each other besides that one night, all of them having very full diaries. It was normally held at Kensington in Margrets apartment. Kensington being the fishbowl that it is, Margret would inform them of the most recent gossip. And when it came from her you knew it was probably going to be true, slightly embellished but for the most part fact.

They sat in Margrets ostentatious dining room. Velvet curtains hung over the windows and the room had gold paneling, reflecting the light from the crystal chandelier. Oil paintings covered the walls, people long dead looking down on them with strange half smiles. Who they were, Margret couldn't say, but they seemed to judge her. Outside rain pattered on the windows, even in August it rained in England. The white noise filling the silent moments.

For the first half of dinner, they ate and made small talk. On the inside they reflected on their sad, depressing and lonely lives. Being a part of the richest but quite possibly most dysfunctional family in the world can take its toll. The situation between Diana and Charles hung over the room like a rain cloud threatening to spill its moister in one large deluge.

Finally, Margret had to acknowledge the elephant in the room, "You'll never guess whose bed Charle's was found in." Margret spoke with a gleeful smile, sipping on her wine.

"Honestly Margo..." The queen tried to cut her off, rather not hearing about her children's sex lives.

"Let me guess," Anne grinned, "was it the usual suspect?" She referred to Camilla Parker-Bowels. It was no secret that Charles was unfaithful to his wife and had been for some time. Anne and Margo had always been close. Both having fiery personalities but being suffocated by the rigorist system they were born into.

Margert laughed like a little schoolgirl, "This is where it gets good, no! He was found in the bed of his own wife!" Normally a married couple sleeping together would not be strange at all, but when a couple who couldn't stand to be in each other's presents slept together, that was odd enough to take note of.

"Really?" Elizabeth normally tried to steer clear of idol gossip, especially regarding her children, but this piqued her interest. All the rumors of late had been about how much Diana and Charles hated one another, this was a refreshing change.

"Yes, apparently, they have been getting along lately. They are even living in the same apartment in Kensington together." She motioned around her.

The Queen nodded, pleased, "You know..." Elizabeth cut of a piece of her stake, "I had a meeting with them a few weeks ago."

"Did you?" The queen mother raised an eyebrow.
"With all the rumors of their failing marriage spreading like wildfire I thought I should give them a little lecture. Tell them to not let the side down and put on a good show." She chewed her bite, "I was surprised when they listened."

Margret nodded, when orders came from the top boss it was in your best interest to listen. "Well, the latest is that Diana is completely bonkers."

"I feel like that has been going around for a while Aunt Margo." Anne swirled her wine in its glass, "ever since she married him for Christs sake." Discussions of the Princess mental state were few and far between, they preferred to skirt around them and avoid them at all costs. Though it was no secret she wasn't entirely stable.

"Anne! Don't say the Lord's name is vain!" The deeply religious queen looked at her sharply. All the princess did in return was shrug.

"I'm just saying, maybe marrying a teenager who was straight out of secondary school wasn't the best choice on his part. You must hear the rumors. You just have to take one look at her to see how thin she's become. And it's no secret she tried to kill herself during Christmas in '81." Anne referred to the incident during Christmas in 1981. While she was 4 months pregnant, Diana threw herself down a grand staircase at Balmoral.

Margo shook her head "Well, he didn't care." Margret spoke almost sadly, "she was pretty, and he still had the other one," she paused for a moment, "what's her name? Camilla." She nodded, "yes that's it."

The queen shifted uncomfortably, "honestly must we discuss this?"

"Yes." Margret turned to her, "They are the future of the monarchy after all. The stability of their marriage is crucial." Margret had had enough with failed marriages for one lifetime. She had divorced her husband just 9 years prior. As they say, "history repeats itself".

"Well, it seems they are doing well right now that I talked to them." The Queen sighed and hoped they would change to a different topic.

"Will see. They are unpredictable those two." She drowned her glass of wine in one swift sip and stared out the window.

❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜

AN:
This chapter was loosely based off the scene in The Crown where Margret is saying Diana will bend or break. I couldn't find it anywhere but you can see part of it in the trailer here:
Overall I'm pretty proud of this chapter. It's been playing in my head for a while and I needed to write it out. They are such interesting characters with interesting dynamics so it's fun to see C & D's relationship from their perspective! Sorry for the late update and it being short, with Thanksgiving and everything this week I've been busy.