catherinestuart-a

[catherinestuart-a]

HSHQTASK046 —– FAMILY DYNAMICS feat. @effiestuart & @georgetstuart

“virescit vulnere virtus” — courage grows strong at a wound.

    ah, the stuart siblings. everyone knew that queen mary had a plan even before her children were born. she will have three children: the eldest, poised to be a true ruler with all the virtue and grace afforded to their position; the middle child, a supporting act who will do their part in strengthening the monarchy and scotland’s influence; the youngest, beloved by the country and always adored — they will improve the image of the family through good deeds and an advantageous marriage. there was the vision, all the children had to do was follow and obey, which was easier said than done.

call them archaic, but the stuarts had always placed a strong emphasis on titles and influence, it existed in the older generation, and it will continue to exist further down the line. queen mary had married a good catholic prince ( honestly the stuarts and catholicism deserves a separate post ) that was respectable and non-threatening to her power at the same time, prince christian knew what was expected from him and had no problem in staying one or two steps behind his disarming wife. the late king william ( queen mary’s father ) had placed much emphasis in his heir, investing most of the education and attention towards mary, not her siblings. this idea became almost hereditary, queen mary feels the same, and so does catherine: your family members must be ranked from most to least valuable, which will be determined in how obedient and useful they were. the more valuable you are, the more freedom and trust was given.

queen mary was proud of her sister isabel for being perfectly popular and scandal-free, not to mention the valuable marriage to an important border duchy  she will forever be in the queen’s good graces. prince james was a disappointment, he had partied and shunned his responsibilities, before falling in love with a non-inheriting french noble and gotten her pregnant, when he could’ve become king consort or duke in his own right! his father had punished him by not giving him his own duchy to rule and receive income from, as was customary. princess madeleine married into a staunchly catholic principality, a perfectly respectable title even though it wasn’t the most powerful. the youngest, prince robert was a somewhat celebrated economist, although still relatively foolish and unambitious by stuart standards, and could’ve suffered the same fate as his brother, but he was saved by his miraculous marriage to wiebke, the grand duchess of bavaria, and he finally became an important member of the family.

there was a reason why catherine placed so much emphasis on marrying her siblings off to the highest bidder, it was a fool-proof way to get one’s foot in the door of power  even though she knows the work will begin after. marriage, a perfect tool to ignore political ideals or alliances and rope an entire country’s resources into one’s own war, all under the guise of ‘family’. the stuarts found it foolish to not take advantage of a tool that was so readily available for them. it was the very reason why catherine kept overreaching with her own matches! after england fell apart she knew that she would need to find a suitably powerful replacement that would keep her sane. it was her pride masquerading as courage and ambition. the senior members of her family are equal parts apprehensive and proud, despite so, family sentiment will always fall to support their shining heir, no matter what.

euphemia had always been an integral part of the family, after catherine, of course. naturally brilliant and effortlessly beautiful, catherine had none of the girlish softness of her sister’s features. when catherine was merely a young teenager, queen mary had shown surprising sensitivity in perceiving her eldest daughter’s mood during their annual family portrait. it was the first time that the queen told her daughter that it was a great fortune to be pretty, not beautiful. this was possibly heavily influenced by catholicism, mainly, she believes that beautiful people are innately vain, and vanity had no place in clear and sober public service. queen mary herself had been merely pretty to her sisters’ notable beauty. her sisters’ flaming red hair and startling features would only be distracting in a monarch, the same way euphemia’s soft femininity would only undermine the strong image that the scottish crown must exude. this wasn’t something that catherine believes in, necessarily, and she’s still prone to the swooping feeling of jealousy sometimes when her sister effortlessly dazzles a room.

fortunately for catherine, euphemia has the good sense of cultivating the family trait of nationalism. she would be selfless for scotland, and even though most of their conversations always ended up in tense back-and-forths, they could still count on each other to straighten their spines and be strong for family and country. they’re still a team, even though it often doesn’t seem that way. catherine certainly didn’t make it easy for effie, ordering her around without bothering to ever say thank you. only time would tell if the two sisters would stop gawking at each other and start learning how to truly compromise. it would take quite a bit of time and maturity, unfortunately.

queen mary had placed much emphasis in being a female ruler to her daughter, there were so few of them in scottish history, after all, and those that existed were largely lauded and legendary ( re: mary, queen of scots ). that inflated sense of importance was evident since their childhood, it would be impossible for george not to be touched by it in some way. catherine was mother’s favourite, and euphemia was father’s, george begged for attention through any way he could. it didn’t take him long to realise that there was absolutely no pleasing queen mary, and that his time and attention was better placed in chasing his own enjoyment instead. he was unruly on purpose at first, until he really found enjoyment in really doing his own thing.

discipline has always been demanded and expected of the stuarts, and those who refuse to abide by it were deemed useless — the absolute worst of all stuart insults. george has always been lucky to be born after catherine and euphemia, it gave him a little breathing room when their parents continue to breathe down the sisters necks instead of him. as far as they’re concerned, the elder two siblings needed to be in a better place before fully focusing their attention to their youngest. so far, the queen had been trying to push george into a placement in the army — to no avail.

the stuarts are proud, it came from centuries of rule and innate adoration of their people. no one knew any different, not since the 12th century, and it’s quite gotten to their heads. when they were younger the children were constantly reminded that they were descended from vikings, ready to kill and protect their own. they knew scotland wasn’t a world power, in the larger scope of things, but respectability, prestige, and piety were more tenets of the family’s core beliefs than hoarding power.

of course, that doesn’t stop catherine from reaching where she shouldn’t. both stuart sisters held the doors open for the younger generations’ ambitions, to eschew traditional contentment in favour of fighting for something more.

[catherinestuart-a]

HSHQTASK050 — SEXUALITY feat. @ennioeste @arturcii ​

up in gordonstoun, everyone was always cold and tired. the aristocrats had the distinct pleasure of pretending that being all rough and tumble would make them more humble, somehow, and even the crown princess wasn’t spared. catherine was just cathy, and there were prettier girls that people paid attention to. lanky, flat, and far too serious to be taken as someone attractive in that sense. it wasn’t until she had discovered the art of make up and self confidence during elocution classes in the summers did she finally blossomed. time and maturity came ahead by the time her debutante year rolled on, and by then all the girls at finishing school were already well conditioned to use their beauty and sexuality as a weapon.

push-up bras and pretty dresses made her feel all the more powerful, to own femininity in such a way after ignoring it for so long was freeing. her mother had once warned her that being a woman and ruler oftentimes comes with its own set of preconceived notions, and catherine had taken the advice to heart by steeling herself in her youth. she had her first kiss during her first society season — behind a garden statue of one of her aunts’ estates! — and could considerably be called a ‘late bloomer’ in that sense.

but her instincts took over, as if it had been waiting for a summon all this time. catherine was both eager and cautious, in the beginning it was almost like making up for lost time. she lost her virginity to some earl’s handsome son from the highlands before her first semester at st. andrews. she didn’t tell him about her virginity, she’d hate for him to feel any sort of ownership over her in that way. her college boyfriend was sweet, and she became accustomed to sleeping with him. although her first prominent sexual partner was definitely ennio este.

he was older, with experience she never had. catherine did a lot of learning under ( and on top of ) him, she explored things more thoroughly, and could finally call herself mildly adventurous. finally, she was confident and happy in her skin. finally, she could honestly say that sex is a largely enjoyable past time.

after the end of her relationship with ennio, then began her series of conveniently located fwbs strewn across her usual haunts. lord gavin st. john always comes when she beckons, meanwhile tony branson’s penthouse flat in london has a drawer of her emergency toiletries. catherine always preferred to stick to longterm arrangements than one night stands, just as all other aspects of her life, research and experience counts.

( also yes catherine and arthur slept with each other during their secret arrangement thing just to see if they could stomach each other, but it was still pretty weird and only happened once )

leading up to her marriage with max, catherine had already cancelled all of her surviving arrangements towards the end of her betrothal with andrew ( when they finally started sleeping with each other ), and she got pissed that her options immediately dwindled. she has needs, after all.

just like outside of the bedroom, catherine likes to be in charge, she’s bossy and controlling, and it never really goes away. of course, there is something innately rewarding ( and hot ) about a power struggle, and despite having sex with less dominant men might go a little more smoothly, sparring with someone equally as controlling as her proved to be more fun in the end. unfortunately, she’s selfish and not particularly generous. fortunately, most of the things she likes involves edging others. so in that sense she truly believes that she’s quite giving 💕

[catherinestuart-a]

HSHQTASK 008 — the finsta circa. 2020-2021

yes, its a finsta with her face on it. but there’s so many fakes that it’s easy for people to overlook the account. most of the pics are of her and her friends, recently that also includes her new husband — all the shit talking happens in her story. each of her 34 followers are heavily vetted, which includes some of her cousins, a few of her close oxford friends, a handful of girls from finishing school, and some of her closest royal friends. 

[catherinestuart-a]

the art of give and take, but mostly take: love in the world of catherine stuart

growing up, no one could ever accuse queen mary of being affectionate in any way. she finds the act superfluous, and little catherine — who wanted nothing more than to embody her towering mother — would agree empathically. her father, however, was softer and just a tad more loving, he used to take his girls up onto his shoulders, patting them gruffly in the head when they did something right. but that barely meant anything to catherine, she cared for the queen’s opinion more, no matter how much she loves her father. it was during her time with  her first boyfriend in university did she realise just how potent physical touch could be, he was her first love, and poor catherine was so overcome with emotions that she could never find the words to express them. so she kept her hands on him, reaching towards him in bed and barely leaving his side when they’re not in public — even though there were moments in their group outings where she managed to discreetly fold herself onto his side. after they broke up the cycle continues, albeit more subtly as she grew into adulthood, small pats of the arm to her sisters, light stroking of their hair in rare moments of tenderness, light one-armed hugs for her close friends and soft squeezes of their arms. it was easy to forget her small bouts of affection because they are few and far in between, she doesn’t really love many people in the first place and would not like to advertise where her personal loyalties lie. but when it rains, it really does pours: theo will learn that eventually xoxo.

when it came to receiving, catherine expects and demands people around her to perform acts of service in varying degrees. it might be the official love language for all stuart heirs, it had been clear in their upbringing that you were supposed to give and give to your country. as the future head of the country and someone who will be synonymous with scotland, she must be on the receiving end of such acts of service, even in her personal life. however, she never expected anyone outside of the family to do anything for her, merely assuming that most of her work would be hers to do alone. having someone actually do something for her would be a pleasant surprise, it might even touch her heart.

[catherinestuart-a]

HSHQ TASK thirty six —– NOBILITY. the current members of scottish senior nobility

after the restoration of house stuart by the papacy in 1760, the borders were redrawn to consolidate land that were taken apart by the years of joint rule between england and scotland. scottish noble houses were upheld, and the parliament was renewed with vigour. everyone was determined to show the world that scotland was stronger and better without being attached to england, and thus began the nobles tireless support of house stuart. now centuries later, some support had waned with time, and the queen ruled with the delicate balance of power intact; 9 out of 21 duchies held by the crown and various family members, while the rest ruled by ancient families with varying degrees of loyalty. it was up to the monarch to keep firm control, and such lessons are viewed one of the most important in a future monarch’s upbringing.

duchy titles are hereditary, and follows the act of succession of 1970 citing absolute primogeniture. dukes and duchesses are responsible for the managing of their territories although they have been without personal/territorial armies since the fifteenth century, and they are the last hereditary political positions after the crown. marquesses, earls, and viscounts act as landowners whose only political powers laid upon their inclusion to the house of lords, with the chance of becoming promoted into the queen’s privy council. dukes and duchesses hold subsidiary titles that are used as courtesy titles for their children. 

the highland duchies

28th duke of orkney, lord gavin st john ( william moseley )

rumour has it, gavin st john had been angling to marry the future duchess of shetland from childhood. what started off as a pragmatic grab for power had resulted in an actual teenage infatuation that annabelle somerville had entertained, even reciprocated! catherine had almost readied herself for a lovely wedding in the northern islands, but the entire thing was soon called off. gavin had found himself nursing a broken heart and retiring indefinitely to his islands, only flying down south for very important events, and staying clear out of annabelle’s way. may or may not have been catherine’s fwb during her ‘relationship’ with arthur because everyone has needs and he’s pretty desperate. 

22nd duchess of shetland, lady annabelle somerville ( annabelle wallis )

all things considered, annabelle somerville was perfectly content with gavin’s plan. she knew she had to marry, and he was so completely in love with her in their youth that it sort of made sense. they grew up together, dreamt together, and it was so helplessly convenient that she didn’t think twice when he proposed in the young age of twenty-two. but what she wasn’t expecting was to fall in love with someone else entirely. bjarne selland was a norwegian phd student doing research in one of her smaller islands, and once they laid eyes on each other, annabelle knew that nothing with gavin could ever compare. she had no choice but to break his heart, and instead of preparing for the highland society wedding that she was going to have with gavin, annabelle decided upon a small ceremony with bjarne instead. 

15th duke of sutherland, lord thomas maclaren ( george mackay )  

good old tommy had always tried his very best, even when it wasn’t required of him. his older brother had been poised to take the duchy, but after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at age 31 the heartbroken family had to make preparations for the possibility that anthony maclaren might not ever succeed their father as duke. after living for twenty-five years and knowing his place as the support, thomas then had to step into her brother’s shoes, by age twenty-nine his brother had passed due to his illness and his father poised to take his long-needed retirement. soon thereafter, thomas maclaren became the fifteenth duke of sutherland and tried his best not to fade into the background. 

the duchess of ross, princess euphemia stuart ( elle fannning )

the title of the duchy of ross had been created numerous times throughout the history of scotland, all of which was given to second-born sons. the last holder of the title was the sisters’ first cousin, twice removed     prince david, son of their great granduncle, prince thomas. he passed in 2010, and the title was then conferred to princess euphemia on her twenty-first birthday. 

the duke of albany, prince george stuart ( danny griffin )

the queen had thought long and hard about whether she should give duchies to all of her children. king william hadn’t, having held on to the titles that belonged to the crown except for the duchy of the rothesay to his eldest child. but it was with great ambition and the fact that she had already conferred the duchy of ross to euphemia that queen mary gave the responsibility of the duchy of albany to george on his twenty-first birthday.

8th duke of inverness, lord grant buchanan ( john stamos )

grant buchanan was the son of the late duke and a greek noblewoman, the daughter of a lesser noble who would not hold any title of her own. an eternal bachelor, the duke had been the top of the pack when it came to the most eligible bachelors of scotland. with an array of impressive castles and a winning smile, even catherine had a small crush on him during her childhood. he had been linked to numerous actors and royals alike, there was even a reality show pitched that would find him a wife, a la the bachelor. rumour has it, he’s been secretly dating the child of the earl of rothes     and yet their parents refused to let the union actually happen. 

19th duchess of montrose, lady cecilia graham ( carla gugino )

the duchess of montrose had been a society darling in her time, rivalling even princess isabel herself. the eldest daughter of the 18th duke of montrose and his italian-model wife, the lady cecilia had no problems with finding an appropriately untitled husband, although she really did take her time in doing so ( because she definitely could ). however, her lofty approach to marriage was soon dashed when she found herself unexpectedly pregnant with the child of a lowly earl’s second-born son. her ambitious parents were livid, and demanded their heir to deal with it appropriately. they were soon married, and lady cecilia found herself increasingly unhappy. it was with her second marriage that she found love and happiness, an older english gentleman that was neither titled nor important, who was the father of the rest of her five children. the youngest of whom became the communications secretary & spokesperson for the crown princess.

the west islands

the duchess of rothesay, the crown princess ( sasha luss )

the historic title of scottish heirs apparent is largely ceremonial, despite having corresponding land attached to its name. most of the management fall to the marquessate of bute, with assistance from the crown. 

10th duke of argyll, sir walter scott ( peter capaldi )

the scott family had ruled argyll for centuries upon centuries, and have largely been content in almost absolute control of the west islands. the crown gives them space to exercise their influence, and in turn they have supplied the crown with unwavering support. it has been said that their relative closeness with generations of heirs apparent have become a source of pride for the family. sir walter scott was the queen mary’s godfather, and was described in catherine’s aunt’s all too truthful words: ‘will he ever die?’. the duke held steadfastly strong until this day, a close personal advisor to the queen. rumour has it, the close relationship between the duke and the dowager queen is more than just mere friendship, although catherine herself would never be impetuous enough to ask.

the central territories

5th duchess of fife, lady louisa carnegie ( tracee ellis ross )

technically, louisa carnegie is a member of the royal family, albeit very distantly. her great grandmother was the elder sister of crown prince james, and the eldest child of king james x. princess henrietta was created duchess of fife upon her marriage to a lesser member of scottish nobility, and thus took her husband’s name; carnegie. now three generations later, louisa carnegie remained close with her royal relatives, spending her summers running around the stuart siblings as a child. a strong supporter of the house, the duchess had provided monetary support for the naval bases within her territories. it was strange to think that in another life, louisa would have the weight of the scottish crown upon her brow, not catherine. 

the duchess of lothian, queen mary iii ( gillian anderson )

the capital region boasts edinburgh, the political and economic centre of the country, it had always been in the position of the crown.

1st duke of falkirk, prince henry stuart ( kim bodnia )

king william iv’s younger brother, catherine’s great uncle, is a very interesting man. their father had died prematurely when prince henry was merely two years old, leaving his brother as king when their grandfather passed just two years after his son. they barely had a childhood, and prince henry suffered the most from being compared with the shining crown prince     it was difficult to have a bond with someone who seemed larger than life. so prince henry left home as soon as he could, first to the army, and then to whichever country he could find some fame and adoration from those dying to be in the presence of a king. he made a morganatic marriage that should’ve stripped him of his title ( but king william didn’t, largely because he only had one living sibling ), to a beautiful english model, ella edwards, who thankfully fell in line. in recent times, prince henry had remarried five years after his first wife’s passing, to an italian-american actress: marcella massaro, who is 37 years his junior and 8 years younger than his eldest son.

12th duke of glasgow, sir george murray ( mark consuelos )

sir george murray had been prince james’ close friend ever since childhood, both of them getting into mayhem and trouble that had made their parents run after them, cleaning up their mess. now much older, lord george fancied himself the ‘fun uncle’ of the royal set, spoiling his best friend’s children; little princess marie-adelaide, princess ava, and prince edmund, as if they were his own. the duke is currently on his third marriage with a handful of children trailing in their wake, the youngest daughter of his first marriage is now married with the eldest son of the duke of queensberry and princess isabel, lord sebastian - the marquess of whithorn and the future duke of queenberry. as if george murray needed any more inclination to support the royal family, he had now become an extended member with unflinching loyalty.

16th duke of hamilton, lord hugo douglas-hamilton ( regé-jean page )

the dukedom fell upon lord hector far too soon. the 15th duke, hugo’s father, had just passed in a boating accident that left his young son in charge of the family affairs. hector had always been careless in his privilege, a spoiled son of an ancient house that sought a marriage that would put him in the duke of queensberry’s position, or even higher. he had been one of the front-runners of a public-based vote to who should be catherine’s prince consort, even though catherine never looked twice at him ( she was otherwise occupied during her early twenties ). now, the young duke sought after the next best thing, cajoling with the younger scottish princess in hopes of earning himself a spot in the royal family.

11th duchess of lennox, lady marion gordon-lennox ( bree kish )

the duchess’ ambitious mother had enrolled her to gordonstoun as soon as news of princess catherine’s enrolment found her ears. they quickly became friends, quite naturally despite the early meddling, and marnie soon proved her loyalty and usefulness as close advisor to the crown. with the death of her father came the avalanche of his debts, the family fortune was no more. it will be on marnie to uphold the family name, honour, and pride through any means necessary. find her @marnielennox​ !

2nd duchess of selkirk, lady vivienne malcolm ( charity wakefield )

the duchy of selkirk had been in the malcolm family for the short period of two generations. king william iv had given his best friend and right-hand man the duchy in a move that was largely considered ridiculous, especially since the highest noble titles were usually given to members of the royal family or its relatives. however, the late sir anthony malcolm was deeply thankful and became the most loyal of allies within the parliament, a sense of nationalism that is echoed by his daughter and heir. rumour has it, sir anthony and the late king william wanted nothing more than to pair prince james off with the duchess, to no avail. 

the duchess of strathclyde, queen mary iii ( gillian anderson ) 

the biggest area in the midlands, the duchy was passed onto the crown after king james x’s ( catherine’s great, great grandfather ) nephew died without issue. since then, the crown had supported the local industry to its fullest ability, for it has the most agriculturally fertile land in all of scotland. 

the border duchies

13th duke of queensberry, sir archibald douglas ( ewan mcgregor )

married to the queen’s sister, princess isabel, the duke of queensberry became a member of the royal family right before his ascent to his family’s ducal seat. he fell in love with princess isabel and had courted her as if his live dependent on it, at the time, the princess had a difficult time fending admirers off, left and right. when she finally caved and gave lord archie the time of day, she realised that the kind of love he gave her was the overwhelming kind that she could only dream of. they got married a month after their formal courtship, and sebastian, the marquess of whithorn was born not one year later. catherine loves her uncle very much, and secretly felt jealous at their bond. it was certainly different in seeing her parents’ formidable partnership and fondness, and compare it to her aunt and uncle’s actual love.

21st duke of dumfries, lord bruce macalpin ( alexander skarsgård )

house macalpin ruled scotland in the early 9th and 10th century, before fading in prominence to houses dunkeld and bruce, however, they still retained their familial seats right up on the scottish border with england. historically very wealthy landowners, the macalpins had always enjoyed favourable positions in the scottish court, many past dukes being the right hand advisor of the monarch. lord bruce macalpin was catherine’s godfather even in his young age ( the king and queen preferring to think much, much ahead ) and had been a second father to her when the princesses were growing up. when catherine felt it impossible to speak to her father for fear of him relaying the message to her mother, lord bruce was there to soothe and talk the ambitious little princess from letting her drive run herself – and her country – to the ground. as son of prince alice of england and duke cadman macalpin, his duchy borders his brothers’ to the south, the duchy of northumberland. currently, lord bruce had just been displaced as regent of england following king arthur’s return to the throne.

9th duchess of roxburghe, lady madeline innes-ker ( julianne moore )

a neighbour of the duchy of sutherland, the duchess shared the position of ‘the richest landowners in scotland’ with lord bruce macalpin. she had always been a shrewd capitalist, and had her hand in many, many businesses that had significantly enlarged her personal fortune as well as roxburghe as a whole. when catherine had her formal society début, lady madeline had given her shares to numerous fortune 500 companies in the world, amounting to a small fortune. at her behest, catherine hired a much recommended harvard-educated business manager, who had turned her small number of shares and personal fortune into something quite significant in the space of six years.

the duchess of berwick, queen mary iii ( gillian anderson )

the historical duchy of berwick will always be under the control of the crown, in the memory of the siege of berwick and the wars of scottish independence. it was also crucial for the crown to completely control 50% of the bordering duchies, in this case, berwick and queensberry ( through the marriage of princess isabel ). 

[catherinestuart-a]

HSHQ TASK eleven —– FAMILY the royal house of stuart

late king william iv & dowager queen anne ( donald sutherland & julie andrews )

grandpa william came onto the crown at age seven. his father passed away when he was merely five, and his grandfather succumbed from his wounds from the war just a few years later. a joint regency was established by his mother, the dowager princess charlotte, and his uncle: prince thomas. as soon as he reached majority age, he married his childhood sweetheart, lady anne egerton, third daughter to the earl and countess of morton. all things considered anne wasn’t important nor particularly special, but they fell in love, and the king had the luxury to marry whoever he wanted. king william had a lot to prove, which was why he was so deathly strict to all of his children, for they were a chance to prove his legacy.  he had to prove that decades of regency would be worth it when he ascended the throne. when he passed, the dowager queen retained some of his trademark stuart rigidness towards her children, but spoiled her grandchildren immensely.

the late king and dowager queen had four children:

queen mary iii of scotland

princess isabel, the duchess of queensberry

prince james of scotland

prince robert, grand duke of greater bavaria

queen mary iii & prince consort christian ( gillian anderson & iain glen )

queen mary did not know the meaning of love. her love language is acts of service, and she truly believes that the best thing she could do for her family and people who were close to her, was to provide them with safety, riches, titles, and the like. conversely, people who did not provide her any service was treated as if they had gave her a personal slight. prince christian of poland was a respectable catholic match, especially for the ever so pious mary, and with one suggestion from the cardinal, she investigated the manner fully. kristijan, the youngest son of king stanisław had the easy confidence that mary was desperately lacking, but with the same sort of innate duty to his country. he’s perfectly content with standing one step behind his wife, to be less important with less responsibilities, he had many hobbies that occupied his time when he wasn’t pushing his nose into his children’s lives.

catherine, euphemia, & george ( sasha luss, elle fanning, danny griffin )

family dynamics task coming soon ig.

princess isabel & lord archibald douglas duke and duchess of queensberry ( amy adams & ewan mcgregor )

and their children:

lord sebastian douglas, marquess of whithorn ( cameron monaghan )

lady amelia douglas ( annalise basso )

princess isabel is the society darling, president of the debutante board, patron to numerous finishing schools and various social clubs. uncle archie fell in love with her, hard, and did everything he could to win her hand. king william had approved of the marriage just because he would like more family control alongside the ever important southern border. sebastian has the same sort of passion as his father, having married at age twenty-four to his childhood sweetheart ( and debutante of the year ) lady rose murray, daughter of the duke of glasgow, a close family friend. mia, however, was determined to take her time, and make her own way in the world, despite the meddlesome way her mother had moulded her into becoming the next society darling.  

prince james & princess eléanor ( simon baker & ashley judd )

and their children:

princess marie-adélaïde ( india eisley )

princess ava ( mackenzie foy )

prince edmund ( samuel joslin )

prince james, the wild-child, had met the utterly beautiful daughter of the duke of aiguillon and prince of turrene, princess eléanor de la tour d'auvergne and decided that all of the girls he dated before her had paled in comparison. she was the very image of french sophistication, and despite his higher rank, her air of lofty superiority had prompted deference even from him. they played the game for a while, chasing each other through the continent and making eyes across glittering ballrooms. that was until eléanor became pregnant unexpectedly with james’ baby, and both sets of parents decided that a marriage was necessary to avoid scandal. the young couple was hastily married, and marie-adélaïde came seven months later. they lived a slightly tumultuous existence, especially since they weren’t ready to get married and settle down in the first place. but with immense therapy and growing determination from both parties, they hadn’t given up yet. eight years after addie then came ava, and a year after that came edmund.

prince robert & lady wiebke wittelsbach grand duke and duchess of greater bavaria ( kevin mckidd & angela sarafyan )

and their children:

lady anna-amalia wittelsbach of greater bavaria ( lauren de graaf )

lord mathias stuart of greater bavaria ( george mackay )

ya’ll know wibbie. they’re adorable. the stuarts can’t figure out just how robbie   the absolute clown   had gotten wiebke to take him seriously! a miracle tbh.

[catherinestuart-a]

HSHQ TASK thirty three —– NEXT GEN the royal family of sweden and scotland, feat. @theodcr​

frederick, the crown prince of sweden

victoria, the crown princess of scotland

emilia, princess of sweden and scotland

olivia, princess of sweden and scotland

william, prince of sweden and scotland

frederick robert magnus stuart-oldenburg ( björn mosten ) crown prince of sweden, the future king frederick v of sweden

( b. 2021) theodor needed an heir, and quick. it was part of their agreement that the line of succession be established as soon as possible, sweden had been without a king for so long and theodor was determined to start off his reign in the best possible footing. frederick was born within a year of their marriage, and as per their arrangement contract, catherine was to surrender her first heir as the crown prince of sweden. he was the first born child in the history of scotland to not bear the title: duke/duchess of rothesay. frederick inherited his parents’ stubbornness and ambition, with a sharp mind that was riddled with world issues and national pride. there was no denying his identity and future role, his upbringing had prepared him for nothing else. he served in the military after high school, like theodor, and flourished in the study of war history and military tactics. unfortunately, he inherited catherine’s overbearing nature and makes it his business to know where his siblings are at all times, inserting himself to their issues and bossing them around. as much as he hates to admit it, he’s far too like his father for comfort.

sweden loves and is very proud of him, while scotland has quite a inferiority complex when it came to their queen’s first born. the sticklers of tradition might never forgive catherine for giving away the true position of the scottish heir to her second born. although freddy and vika are inseparable, he has a specially close relationship with emilia, and would defend her aloofness to no end.

reason for names: FREDERICK, after theodor’s father. ROBERT, after old kings of scotland, a name that catherine originally picked for her own heir if she had a baby boy. MAGNUS, a historical name of swedish kings.

victoria magdalena arabel stuart-oldenburg ( mila krasnoiarova ) crown princess of scotland, the future queen victoria of scotland

( b. 2022 ) as to not show any favouritism to sweden, catherine felt like immediately securing an heir for scotland would be prudent. victoria was born a little over a year after her eldest brother, a little girl who was as headstrong and cunning as her mother. apart from her dark hair, victoria inherited so much of catherine’s features that it seemed almost natural that the crown of scotland fell to her. the media in scotland affectionately refer to her as the stuart heir, with icy eyes and deep national pride. if there was any anger or disappointment towards catherine ‘giving up’ her rights for the good of sweden, it was soon forgotten when victoria opens her mouth. there was no denying that she was a stuart, in the core. intelligent, logical, and ambitious, she will follow the three generation of strong stuart queens that will forge scotland forwards. fiercely protective of her family, and takes her job as crown heir very seriously — she will loudly boast about the beauty of the highlands to whoever will listen.

growing up, victoria suffers a bit of an inferiority complex when faced with her big brother, wanting to do everything that frederick was doing and following him around and demanding to be taken just as seriously. only a year apart in age, the two were inseparable and deeply competitive, constantly one-upping each other in every possible avenue. most of the time they would be arguing with each other, competing in who had the higher grades in school and who knows more about anything and everything. wholly more vivacious than catherine ever was, victoria has a potent scandalous streak during puberty in an effort to ‘find herself’. it was karma for catherine, and her parents find themselves constantly begging for their eldest daughter to be a little more cautious before cleaning up her messes.

reason for names: VICTORIA, after ancestors from catherine’s scottish and german families. MAGDALENA, a typical catholic name for scottish princesses. ARABEL, a very pretty scottish name ok.

emilia charlotte carina stuart-oldenburg ( sasha sup ) princess of sweden and scotland

( b. 2025 ) emilia is an enigma, far too free-spirited and unpredictable for her parents’ liking. she grew up skiing, skating, and riding horses — spending most of her time outdoors after school-lessons, thriving in team sports during boarding school. truly, catherine and theodor doesn’t know where she got it from. even as a child in their common subjects taught by the tutor, the young mila would sit back and daydream while her older siblings argued and argued well into the break period, she thought that if that is what a crown does to someone, then she certainly does not want it. mila would flourish as she went off to boarding school, with a colourful array of friend groups and very much involved in school activities. she’s naturally aloof and notoriously hard to please, she knows she’s cool — somehow her siblings will always look to her for general approval for major life choices.

the younger princess had protested against enrolling in finishing school and having her societal début in edinburgh, the way the women of the stuart family did. tough luck, catherine is big on tradition and she dragged her daughter to edinburgh and made her go through with it. after her début society season, emilia had surprised her parents in enlisting in the swedish military, serving for a handful of years before she was discharged due to a flare up of an existing skateboarding injury. will constantly remain the bane of catherine’s existence, probably.

reason for names: EMILIA, after theodor’s mother and various ancetors, CHARLOTTE, after catherine’s great-grandmother. CARINA, a pretty name that works in sweden and scotland.

olivia madeline henrietta stuart-oldenburg ( olga nowotarska ) princess of sweden and scotland

( b. 2027 ) 1/2 of the surprise twins. olivia and william were born via surrogate, catherine and theodor had wanted more children but with the way catherine was conducting her business ( high-pressured situations while using scotch and cigarettes to cope with the stress ), their doctor had suggested that the two considered surrogacy. now as much as her previous pregnancies had been better than expected, catherine was secretly glad that she didn’t have to go through it again. however, such was the case with ivf, the doctor had informed them that two of her eggs had been successfully inseminated. they looked at each other then, and decided ‘might as well’.

livia came twelve minutes before william, the quietest one out of the bunch. she shares william’s genius, albeit in a thoroughly different field. being a beloved daughter of terribly rich parents meant that she could study and do what ever she wanted, no matter how narrow and difficult. she’s earned a phd in linguistics from cambridge, and lives a life away from politics and governance. quiet and unobtrusive that she always was, livia didn’t like how heated her parents and her eldest siblings were when it comes to ruling, the public life that was so restricting and immensely draining. so instead, she came into academia and be a well known figure in a little bubble. secretly wants to please her parents, and would feel a little guilty for marrying for love. maybe as she grows older she will be more interested in politics, albeit in a more reserved way than vika.

reason for names: OLIVIA, after theodor’s grandmother. MADELINE, after catherine’s numerous ancestors, although mainly her great-great-grandmother. HENRIETTA, after queen henrietta maria, wife of charles ii.

william gustav alexander stuart-oldenburg ( billy vandendooren ) prince of sweden and scotland

( b. 2027 ) 1/2 of the surprise twins. william wasn’t only the baby in age, but also in temperament. he was also far too aware of his adorable face even in a young age, meaning that he really had both catherine and theodor in the palm of his hand. the peacemaker, the sweetly unproblematic child, will was the one who would try to break up vika and frederick’s fights while emilia sat idly by. he grew into his looks quickly, and his generally kind and generous nature in addition to that had made the girls in the boarding school take notice. without knowing it, william led far too many girls on, showering them with compliments and charming smiles as they believed that they were the only one, to sofia’s complete disdain. needless to say, after taking one girl home for christmas and jetting off somewhere to meet another girl for new years, william received an earful from his mother and sisters, one talk was enough to stop him from being such a cliche. it still doesn’t stop him from posting ‘accidental’ thirst traps, unfortunately.

as all of this was happening, william managed to graduate top of his class in boarding school and was enrolled to MIT for mathematics. what his parents believed was merely a ‘phase’ growing up, the obsession of space exploration and science had continued well into adulthood. the twins were the only ones between the theorine kids to earn phds ( in astrometry, for william ) before abandoning academia to work for NASA. he wants to be the first royal in space!

reason for names: WILLIAM, after catherine’s grandfather, william iv of scotland. GUSTAV, a traditional name for many swedish kings. ALEXANDER, after theodor’s grandfather, alexander i of sweden.

headcanons!

the eldest three and olivia have catherine’s blue eyes, william inherited theodor’s green eyes. while the girls inherited theo’s nose, the boys inherited catherine’s.

nicknames! (idk why this is important to me but here we go): frederick - freddie, victoria - vika ( a little nod to catherine’s slovene roots ), emilia - mila, olivia - livia ( after livia drusilla ), william - will.

all the kids were sent to le rosey in switzerland when they turn twelve, it was the same age that catherine left for gordonstoun and it was one of the few decisions that her and theodor actually agreed upon without much fuss.

catherine and theodor bicker and argue about everything under the sun, and would make up as if nothing happened the next minute. this caused a rather skewed perception of healthy relationships to their children, who had to learn the hard way that sometimes you don’t have to be quite so competitive with your partner.

the children were raised to be bilingual: english and swedish, with special care from catherine’s side to force a thick scottish accent in their english. they were all taught scots-gaelic, but only victoria and olivia managed to be quite fluent in it, william comes a close second.

the siblings have an inside joke about the youngest twins, always saying that their genius came from their parents genetically modifying the best parts of themselves into the two. they called them the ‘designer babies’ and never let them forgot it.

victoria, olivia, and william were raised catholic, and frederick and emilia lutheran. none of them are particularly religious, but it was important to their countries that they were at least appearing at church every so often.

godparents are as follows: for frederick, josefina & thore ; for victoria, gio & effie​ ; for emilia, natasja & kristoffer ; for olivia, luca & katja ; for william, arthur & ebba. the kids are baptised in different churches ( lutheran for freddie & emilia, and catholic for victoria and the twins ) so all the godparents had to belong to the specific churches.

there’s a lot more hcs but this is long enough already !!!

[catherinestuart-a]

HSHQ TASK forty —– HOME the main residence of the scottish royal family

catherine’s apartments are second only to her majesty, the queen’s, and the prince consort’s. situated in the north-eastern corner of the quadrangle layout, on the opposite corner from the conjoined holyrood abbey ( in this au it’s not in ruins ok the stuarts can take care of nice things ), the heir apparent’s rooms include: a sitting room -- where she holds informal meetings, her personal library, a bedroom, a large closet & dressing room, and a lavish en-suite bathroom.

as soon as she was eighteen, catherine received permission to renovate the interior to her choosing, first and foremost, painting over the dark panelling with white in order to lighten up her rooms. under the guidance of one of her finishing school contacts -- one girl with taste -- had introduced her to a design house based in paris, who understood how to compliment modern furnishings with classic structures. one of her ancestors ( king charles iv’s french wife ) had detailed the panelings in the rooms in the french fashion and installed french style double-doors, and catherine had gotten used to the walls ever since she moved in at age fifteen.

[catherinestuart-a]

HSHQ TASK forty —– HOME on the isle of bute, just a few minutes from rothesay

the scottish royal family divides their time between the holyrood palace in edinburgh and balmoral castle in the country. catherine herself had her own set of apartments at the palace, but her official address had become mount stuart house ever since her investiture as duchess of rothesay. queen mary hadn’t taken up residence in the traditional home for the heirs apparent when she was crown princess, preferring to start her family right at the palace instead. catherine, however, having inherited a great deal of money from her grandfather, she decided to pour most of it into renovating the manor. this wasn’t like the family’s many castles, this house was her’s.

with 400 acres of formal gardens, woodland, a stable, and a spacious greenhouse, the manor was built in the gothic revival style in the nineteenth century. catherine had kept the most iconic parts of the house, including the marble hall ( 1st row, 1st pic ) -- with 40 different types of marble that spans over 90 ft tall-- and the chapel ( 1st row, 2nd pic ), that was built in the italian renaissance style, the floors were directly inspired by those in the sistine chapel. all 20 bedroom suites and apartments are in the process of being renovated, with catherine occupying the master suite ( 2nd row, 1st + 3rd pics ) and oversized office ( 3rd row, 3rd pic ) for most of her meetings. the drawing room with the full bar ( 3rd row, 1st + 2nd pics ) usually see most of the entertaining.

[catherinestuart-a]

HSHQ TASK thirty nine —– PSYCHE she was too cold to love

when she was born, screaming and wailing into the world, the doctors took note of her startlingly blue eyes. decidedly polish, and told of the ice that coursed through her veins that will speak tales for the rest of her life. the then crown princess mary rejoiced in having a daughter that she might shape into her own image, a so-called full proof plan from a woman who thought far too highly of herself. she fancied herself a god of their small kingdom, and it seemed only natural that certain expectations would be placed on her eldest daughter and heir.

catherine was taught to be everything all at once, to be unattainable and approachable, to be outspoken yet demure, to be pretty but never beautiful, to be rough and friendly in gordonstoun- perched in the highlands, yet regal and charming in exclusive social clubs. how was she to smile and laugh, draped in diamonds while beneath her dress her knees were bruised after her last gordonstoun challenge? she kept trying to please her mother, to be everything she wanted her to be, despite the innate knowledge that nothing will ever be enough. having to try twice as hard in her academics -- especially in competition with her naturally brilliant sister; margot -- as well as excel in sociable situations, much like her outgoing youngest; matilda, despite being innately introverted. but nothing is ever enough, and soon catherine felt her mother’s voice growing louder and louder in her mind.

however, to fill something up with an abundance of ideals and characteristics would only result in an implosion into nothingness.

she was drowning, gasping for air, all the while forcing the most convincing of smiles -- the most confident of airs. it only took a small nudge for her to disassociate from everything, even from herself. she started to see herself move and speak as if she was floating alongside her body, aware of every twitch of an eye and every racing pulse, taking note, and moving along. catherine could recognise the feelings of anger, of elation, even of love, allow herself to revel in it for an appropriate amount of time, before moving along. it was a sprint that she was simultaneously running and spectating, able to watch from afar while remaining inside the body to pant and shake from exertion. there was no time to pause in a sprint, even if someone was shot dead in front of you, so catherine would merely acknowledge the sight of a corpse, before moving along.

love had been thrusted upon her, and in her youth and hubris she decided that she might take them on whilst still running towards the unattainable goal. she was wrong, and those loves became reduced to short lists of why it shouldn’t continue -- for there was something bigger that she needed to pour herself into.

there was something cold and calculating in how she considers human life, human feelings -- as if she couldn’t understand why people wont put aside petty emotions and follies to focus on the task at hand. she was quick to dismiss ludicrous ideas, oftentimes relegating her outward show of polite emotions to those worthy of them, otherwise ignoring the time-wasters completely, before moving along. there was no time, hardly any time to breath, much less to sit and smell the fucking roses -- there was simply no time.

if she was afforded a second to think, to contemplate, to feel, she might sob out loud -- lamenting upon her failed ambitions and shortcomings, for she knew no other life than to be disappointed in her own existence. catherine could -- perhaps one day -- be persuaded to warm the ice in her veins, to make use of her heart, although that day is yet to be seen. if so, the broken down dam might be irreparable, lost in the sea of all the people she tried to become and leaving nothing left. she will be a mere shadow of what little self she had.

it’s too late to save her. even as she gasps her last breath, feel her life slip by, all she could do was to just acknowledge it happen, and move along.

( to something better, maybe bigger in the afterlife )

[catherinestuart-a]

HSHQ TASK twenty-five — PUBLIC IMAGE shown through the featured article from the magazine aptly named ‘society pages’

— — hrh crown princess catherine, the duchess of rothesay, on her debut season, her charming style of public speaking, the delicate balance between monarch, politics, and femininity, and more. ( by helena mayes )

sat in her beautiful private sitting room in holyrood castle, princess catherine sipped her tea from an immaculate set of pale pink china; “a gift from my grandmother last christmas”, she supplied, in the inquisitive sort of way she had been known for. her royal highness had answered my unasked question without bidding, and i asked her how she knew that i was going to ask. she answered: “you looked quite curiously at your cup for a second and it couldn’t be the tea -- it’s the normal kind, i’m afraid. so it must be the cup and saucer.”. the palace did not need to showcase the crown princess’ intelligence, it had shined on its own accord.

despite having attended various engagements alongside her parents in her childhood, princess catherine’s societal debut was the absolute sensation of the 2011 season, with many aristocratic families delaying their daughters’ debuts in order for them to rub elbows with the future monarch. presented by her aunt, the princess royal, to her mother and father, princess catherine was accompanied by her paternal cousin: prince hans of denmark, son of the king of denmark, the prince consort’s older brother. princess catherine was described as charming and severely knowledgable by her fellow debutantes, and that despite the harsh upbringing of gordounstoun school, she still retained the ladylike stature that had impressed the tutors of hughes finishing school for young ladies. now almost a decade after her sensational debut, the crown princess looks back to her memories as a young ingenue fondly.

“it seems like a lifetime away, but i do keep up with all the news from dubai.” the princess quipped, smiling slightly. “i’d love to come open the debutantes’ ball as i did a few years back, but business calls me to dubai, and i’m sure that my sisters would be more than capable to come in my place.” business, of course, is old-fashioned politics between monarchs, the conversation between families that might lead to much desired world peace. when asked of how her experience was surrounded by the other royals, the princess had asserted that her presence in the ‘unofficial summit’ -- as she puts it -- was long overdue, for scottish interests must be represented in such turbulent times. many political correspondents had criticised the palace’s decision in sending the princess as their delegate, preferring older, and more experience members of parliament to approach neighbouring nations through the proper channels. the truth to their criticisms is yet to be seen, as the princess had managed to solidify a most important ally to the south.

perfectly groomed without a hair out of place, the incomparable golden girl of scotland continued to charm with her effortless grace, following into her mother’s footsteps in marrying a member of a ruling family in order to strengthen scottish international interests. much unlike her grandfather and the generations before him, who favoured marrying daughters of powerful scottish families instead of neighbouring allies. princess catherine’s adult look had been attributed in part to her stylist, lady-in-waiting, and close friend: lady clara kerr, the 14th marchioness of lothian, focusing on a flattering mixture of traditionally feminine and masculine pieces. her string of solo speaking engagements after her investiture saw the princess in a good ratio of sensible, yet flattering, pencil skirts as well as bespoke pantsuits from various fashion houses of the world. there had only been one incident that had ruffled her otherwise perfect image, the infamously windy day at the polo that had made princess catherine quite terrified of flare dresses.

the university of st andrews and oxford university alumni is not all beauty but also brains, keeping a relatively low profile in the relationships front and famously stayed away from more scandalous company. one obvious exception was her close friendship with crown princess rhiannon of wales, although it was safe to say that princess catherine did not partake in her friend’s wild nights out. to her royal highness, the only sort of dancing that she most preferred was the viennese waltz, a tasteful choice for a most tasteful lady. her carefully curated mixture of beauty and brains would come together during her numerous speaking engagements, it’s easy to admire the way the princess could pull the attention of any crowd. to this, her royal highness could only say: “well i had some very good teachers, i’m very lucky.” ever so humble.

but she wasn’t without her critics, to this princess catherine said: “there are many who still would rather a strong prince or politician to represent scotland, despite the new age and modernity proving that women and female monarchs could do just as well. the conversation will undoubtedly turn to the age old debate between politics and the monarchy, two fields that traditionally did not allow women in their ranks. i’m all three, a politician, a future monarch, and a woman; it can be done.” with a perfectly arched eyebrow and a knowing smile, who could deny the power she held?

a complex intersection of identities, her royal highness the princess catherine would take the world by storm and become a strong role model for young girls in scotland. some may continue to criticise and the crown princess would insist on her own imperfections, she will always be a scottish daughter of whom we are all proud.

[catherinestuart-a]

HSHQ TASK fifteen —– ALTERNATE HISTORY well lets go back to the middle of the day that starts it all

history of house stuart, the blessed rulers of scotland

after roman occupation in the 1st to 2nd centuries and the feudal kingdoms of the early middle ages, the gaelic kingdom of scotland ( more commonly known as the kingdom of alba ) was brought together by house alpin in the early 9th century. however, by the 14th century the wars of scottish independence waged by the infiltrating english resulted in the recognition of scottish sovereignty, thus signed recorded in the treaty of berwick ( 1357 ), in which began the longstanding struggle for the scottish throne between houses balliol and bruce. it was at the dusk of king david ii of house bruce’s reign did the dawn of house stuart began. king robert ii inherited the crown from his uncle and formally established house stuart, the descendants of which ruled uncontested for the next three centuries.

the typical ambition to expand was soon brought to the forefront, as the scots began to plot for a stuart monarch upon the english throne. the opportunity had presented itself in the reign of james iv, when the monarch had married the daughter of england’s first tudor king: henry vii. it was the union of james iv and margaret tudor that set the stage for house stuart’s biggest triumph. mary, queen of scots, was the only legitimate heir of james v, and the only living grandchild of james iv. her marriage to her half-cousin, henry stuart, lord darnley, had strengthened the claim of house stuart through the couple’s shared position as the great-grandchildren of king henry vii, of house tudor.

after the tragic murder of her husband, queen mary had been imprisoned by her half-cousin; queen elizabeth of england, for fear that she might usurp the english throne. the english court’s worries were confirmed as queen mary was found guilty of plotting the assassination of queen elizabeth, and was swiftly executed. despite defeating her rival, queen elizabeth had remained childless throughout her reign, ironically passing over the throne to james vi, the heir of queen mary and her husband, henry stuart, the lord darnley. james vi of scotland became james i of great britain, and succeeded in passing the union of the crowns at his ascension to the throne on 1603, after the death of queen elizabeth, marking the end of the tudor era.

house stuart ruled england and scotland uncontested until the 17th century. discontented with the largely catholic stuarts on a protestant throne, james ii and his catholic heirs were deposed after the glorious revolution ( 1688 ) that would place his daughter’s husband, william of orange, on the english throne. james ii’s daughter queen mary ii and her sister anne was raised protestant at the behest of their uncle and the english court, they were not displaced from succession. the scottish were angry at the treatment of the stuart king but were soothed by queen mary ii’s firm place as monarch. this contentment was soon dashed after the death of childless queen mary ii ( of smallpox ) and the subsequent short reign of her sister, queen anne, of whom suffered fifteen stillbirths. the legitimate line of house stuart was considered exhausted, and king george of house hanover inherited the crown of both england and scotland after the act of settlement ( 1701 ) was passed.

james ii’s catholic heir ( brother to queen mary and anne ) was outraged. james francis edward stuart, named prince regent by his father and was granted the authority to act in his name, waged war against the english with the help of the french. this was famously named the jacobite rising of 1745. he had failed, and returned to rome in order to officially gain the support of the papacy. james stuart would continue to prove his claim until his premature death, in which his sons; charles edward stuart and henry benedict, would take the helm. having been studying to become a member of the clergy himself, henry stuart was a favourite of the then cardinal carlo della torre di rezzonico ( the future pope clement xiii ), and had used their close relationship to achieve what his father could not; the formal blessing and recognition of the restoration of the house of stuart.

however, pope clement xiii decreed that the stuarts were only able to claim their native scotland to rule, a compromise that the english reluctantly agreed upon, as they have fully focused their attention upon the seven years’ war against france. even though the english had separated from rome, they were terrified of being crushed under the might of catholic nations. the stuarts came back to their house seat with their heads held high.

on 1760 the ‘breaking of the crowns’ was finalised, fifteen years after the jacobite rising, the elder stuart brother was named sovereign and king charles iii was restored as house stuart sat on the scottish throne once more.

charles iii ( b. 1720 / d. 1781 ) ( ruled: 1760 - 1781 ) grandson to king james vii / i, charles ruled from 1760 to his death in 1781. charles continued the stuart rule with ever important support of the papacy, led by his brother; the cardinal-deacon of santa maria in compitelli. eager to solidify support for his government, king charles married an italian princess at the behest of the pope.

henry i ( b. 1749 / d. 1801 ) ( ruled: 1781 - 1801 ) the eldest son to charles iii, henry’s grandfather chose the name to mark a new era of the scottish crown, for he himself was sure that the stuarts will be restored by the time his grandson came into adulthood. henry became the first duke of rothesay in the stuart restoration era.

henry ii ( b. 1775 / d. 1830 ) ( ruled: 1801 - 1830 ) the third-born and second eldest son of king henry i, henry ii found himself thrust in to the position of crown prince after the untimely death of his elder brother. he was born prince james, but due to his father’s insistence in the new era of stuart monarchs, he chose to continue his father’s choice of the regnal name: henry. the king was instrumental in supporting the scottish enlightenment era, having focused his attention to aiding the development of ancient scottish universities.

james ix ( b. 1804 / d. 1842 ) ( ruled: 1830 - 1842 ) the youngest son after a line of stuart princesses, james ix’s miraculous birth was celebrated throughout the country, and the meaningful name; james, was given to the new crown prince. however, there was much debate to whether or not to include james vii’s uncrowned son james francis edward stuart in the numerical order of king jameses. in the end, the scottish parliament posthumously rewarded james francis edward stuart the regnal name: james viii, making henry ii’s son: james ix.

charles iv ( b. 1827 / d. 1884 ) ( ruled: 1842 - 1884 ) named after the heroic champion of the stuart restoration, charles iv spent the better part of his reign trying to uphold the economic and scientific prosperity brought by his predecessors during the scottish enlightenment. he had paled in comparison, but still contributed heavily to industrial expansion, namely in: cotton, iron, and coal.

henry iii ( b. 1852 / d. 1912 ) ( ruled: 1884 - 1912 ) a notoriously great politician, henry iii led scotland to prosperous relations with the allies that still remain in present day, tightening the relationship between nations of the british isles without resorting to marrying a princess of neighbouring royal families in fear of another attempt in uniting the two crowns. he himself married the daughter of a scottish duke, in what was considered to be a positively patriotic move.

james x ( b. 1879 / d. 1945 ) ( ruled: 1912 - 1945 ) the only heir of henry iii became the king that led scotland through the first and second world wars, he himself serving as a field marshal in the french front. however, the king was wounded in combat towards the end of the war and was immediately removed from the scene, he lived long enough to celebrate the victory of the allies before succumbing to his wounds after christmas of 1945.

james william robert ( b. 1905 / d. 1943 ) ( did not rule ) the crown prince was a captain in the navy at the time of his death during the second world war, leaving behind his wife and two young children in the scottish court. the death of crown prince james immediately resulted in the succession of his eldest son ( who was five at the time ) as the heir apparent to the scottish throne.

william iv ( b. 1938 / d. 2009 ) ( regency: 1945 - 1963 ) - ( ruled: 1963 - 2009 ) five years old when he succeeded his father as heir apparent, william iv was only seven when he ascended as king and monarch. a joint regency between william iv’s mother; princess charlotte ( styled; ‘the princess mother’ ) and his uncle; prince thomas, the duke of ross, was established until william iv was 25 years of age.

mary iii ( b. 1968 ) ( ruled: 2009 - present ) the eldest child of william iv, mary iii was briefly titled merely princess mary before her father passed the succession to the crown act in 1969, replacing the previous male-preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture. ultimately allowing mary to inherit the crown above any younger siblings, she became the first scottish princess in history placed above a prince in the order of succession. after being named duchess of rothesay and her formal investiture as the crown princess, she famously brokered her own arrangement to the youngest slovene prince.

catherine elizabeth grace ( b. 1993 ) the eldest daughter of mary iii and prince kristijan of slovenia, and current heir apparent of the crown. references, among others: history of scotland, alternate successions of the british crown

[catherinestuart-a]

NUMBER seven —– PLAYLIST a rotten girl buried by a bit of silk and good breeding

if you were there, beware -- arctic monkeys // catherine -- pj harvey // l'homme pressé -- noir désir // uber capitalist death trade -- cabbage // rocking horse -- the dead weather

(i) if you were there, beware -- arctic monkeys

if you were there, beware the serpent soul pinchers three hundred and fifty no thank-yous, and nobody flinches go on, girl, go on, give us something gruesome we require your grief, the thugs help the thieves as they're trying to rock the words from her gob and take the source of the innocents

(ii) catherine -- pj harvey

catherine de barra, you've murdered my thinking i gave you my heart, you left the thing stinking i'd break from your spell if it weren't for my drinking and the wind bites more bitter with each light of morning.

(iii) l'homme pressé -- noir désir

i am an iced mannequin with a sunny complexion swallow back, the hurried man, the bullshits i utter are the destiny of the world, i don't have the time, i run off my career is at stake, i am the media man i am more than political, i move fast, very fast i'm a universal human comet

(iv) uber capitalist death trade -- cabbage

my beautiful son is to be a soldier fighting for whats right in a wage war will he come back well i'm not sure sympathise the terror it's all for don't worry coz capital is cash no death is not added up as expenditure for the nations grace

(v) rocking horse -- the dead weather

iI drank some dirty water shook evil hands i've done some bad things and they get easier to do

[catherinestuart-a]

HSHQ TASK seventeen ----- TV TROPES sophisticated lady

                                she is hip to politics, but loves her jazz                           she's got lots of rhythm, she's got lots of class                               everybody knows how she got her name

politically active princess

catherine lives and breathes politics, it is so far ingrained in her education and upbringing that she hardly knew anything else. her mother had always been a fierce pragmatic, and she had encouraged the crown princess’ active participation in cabinet ministers’ meetings as well as the house of lords. however, the queen had been hesitant in allowing catherine to venture deeper to the house of commons, for she still held on to the belief that someone from the upper class shouldn’t have to deal directly with ‘the riffraff’. but she perseveres and often does everything in her power to enforce some changes and make her mark, no matter how small.

will intentioned extremist / manipulative bitch

she certainly will do what ever she could to achieve her goals, sometimes willingly venturing to the grey areas of ethics in order to climb higher. this would also extend to the possibility of telling a few ‘white lies’ in order to further her ambitions, catherine is downright uncaring of the ethics of being fake, she believes that all of the lies and fake friendships would be neutralised once the higher good is achieved. she completely believes that the better good of her people rests upon her shoulder, and therefore would probably kill to represent scotland’s interests.

progressively prettier + the philosopher

catherine is well aware that she’s not exactly the type of girl who was undeniably the prettiest in the room, even though her father would beg to differ ( but he doesn’t count, because she’s very much the apple of his eye ). but there’s something about her that would draw someone in after a conversation, she’s an amazing conversationalist, and one who would be progressively prettier as time goes by as opposed to an instant attraction. endlessly charming, some might become attracted to her inquisitive mind and not necessarily her looks. catherine used to be quite insecure of her rather simple looks in comparison to her more shining sisters, but as she matured she realised that there are far worse things to be.  

simple, yet opulent, with her high class gloves

terribly posh, catherine had been swaddled with luxuries ever since her birth. she was raised with the highest of class, filled to the brim with propriety and educated in the aristocratic traditional way -- she enjoys riding and the opera, all respectable interests for a woman of her stature. her family had always enjoyed the luxuries that their riches could afford, although it could only be observed by those with a keen eye. usually she would wear simple, flattering dresses made by terrifyingly expensive material, or crisp button-ups paired with bespoke blazers and matching skirts. unlike most royals, she does not wear her riches on her sleeve, knowing full well what sort of image that might send to her people, oftentimes she would merely accessorise with simple priceless heirlooms and one outwardly designer piece.

heroic seductress ( almost the sexpot baroness, not quite the femme fatale )

contrary to popular belief ( a feat of which her publicists should be proud ) catherine enjoyed sex just as much as the next girl, even though she doesn’t necessarily advertise the notches in her bedpost. she usually moves discreetly, keeping her advances subtle for the most part and would steadfastly make sure that the aftermath stays as neat as possible. however, she was not above seducing her way into getting a step closer to her goals, within reason, she does enjoy hitting two birds with one stone and getting her rocks off while simultaneously achieving an objective.

other tropes that also apply ig

proper lady

stepford smiler

altar diplomacy

[catherinestuart-a]

HSHQ TASK twenty eight —– STAFF household of princess catherine, duchess of rothesay

private secretary: charlotte mackay, 16th lady of reay

assistant / lady-in-waiting: isla crawford-carruthers, 13th countess of newburgh

legal counsel / lady-in-waiting: moira cary, 16th viscountess of falkland

stylist / lady-in-waiting: clara kerr, 14th marchioness of lothian

treasurer: ian maitland, 9th lord of belhaven and stanton

equerry: lieutenant commander george phillips

comms. secretary / spokesperson: lady helena graham of montrose

business manager: ronald wishart

head physician: lady elsie sinclair of linlithglow

ever the traditionalists, the queen mary and the prince consort still chose the members of their household from noble families, believing that rank and status could somehow sharpen the mind. catherine’s household had been largely chosen for her by her mother’s people, the master of the household of the queen, however, there are few instances when she could sneak in a few of her own choices into the mix.

private secretary : charlotte mackay, 16th lady of reay ( carey mulligan )

catherine’s right-hand-woman, charlotte was a childhood friend that she had trusted implicitly despite the difference between their ranks. the position of the private secretary to the heir apparent had traditionally gone to a senior member of the house stormont, but since the line had grown dormant since the days of queen mary’s time as crown princess, catherine was free to nominate her own candidate. wherever catherine was, charlotte also stood, she is the current head of the household and wields a certain responsibility that catherine would only bestow upon someone she trusted more than anything. the only reason why charlotte was not made lady-in-waiting was because of her low rank.

assistant / lady-in-waiting : isla crawford-carruthers, 13th countess of newburgh ( kiko mizuhara )

isla started off as someone assigned to catherine due to her parents’ close relationship to the queen and prince consort -- the earl and countess of kellie -- which made it all the more convenient that she was the same age and going to the same university as the crown princess. catherine hated the fact that her parents managed to infiltrate her university experience with a lowkey ‘minder’ in the form of the young girl, but those feelings soon dissipated when isla started to pass her the number of the cutest guys in class and invited her to more and more parties. isla was as a notorious party girl before she was married off to the 13th earl of newburgh, with her face plastered everywhere in the tabloids alongside celebrities and rockstars, she was usually instrumental in introducing the better part of ‘gq’s sexiest men alive’ list to catherine’s acquaintance.

legal counsel / lady-in-waiting : moira cary, 17th viscountess of falkland ( deborah ann woll )

moira wasn’t supposed to be viscountess and happily worked her way through oxford law school before the untimely death of her brother, the 16th viscount of falkland. however, because of her background and title, the court had appointed her to the dual position of legal counsel and lady-in-waiting. catherine appreciates moira’s responsible attitude and the fact that she was still well in touch with what they call the ‘real world’, outside of royal traditions and stuffy ceremonies. she was unfortunately forced to step away from her firm but retains her connections, however, moira appreciates the change in profession as it enables her to spend more time with her wife and two young children.

stylist / lady-in-waiting : clara kerr, 14th marchioness of lothian ( holliday grainger )

clara came to her title as the only daughter of the 13th marquess and marchioness, becoming the single most eligible titled bachelorette in scotland. she enjoyed the attention yet refused to choose a partner despite being in of ‘marriageable age’. in her own words to catherine; “i’ll hold on to the very last moment i could”. clara has a strong relationship with catherine since their childhood, being one of the few daughters of dukes and marquesses that was educated alongside the princesses as their playmates. it was only natural for clara to become a lady-in-waiting as soon as she became an adult, and she is currently the highest rank of catherine’s staff. having been featured numerous of times in ‘most fashionable’ lists all over the world, it seemed only natural that she used her talent in service of the crown.

treasurer : ian maitland, 9th lord of belhaven and stanton ( dane dehaan )

the maitlands had enjoyed many positions in royal households over generations, and ian was prepared all his life for the position of treasurer. he came to the position after the resignation of his predecessor, his uncle, fresh off of cambridge accounting. he had always been a handsome, full of respect, and soft spoken, and catherine had heard whispers that her parents would’ve favoured a match with him if he had a better title. she’s endlessly thankful, because no matter how handsome he was, she still found him to be a terrible bore.

equerry : lt col. george phillips ( mahershala ali )

catherine had never been much trouble for her security details, and that doesn’t look like it would change any time soon. she had been george learmonth’s first charge as he came into the employ of the royal household, a sort of entry-level ‘babysitting’ job when the royal family had been on the move. at first he had hated his placement, believing that he would be of better use in the navy. however, it had all faded away as the princess matured, for her felt a certain kinship and responsibility to his maturing charge, becoming overly protective as she ventured off to study overseas.

comms. secretary / spokesperson : lady helena graham of montrose ( amber stevens )

helena graham is the youngest daughter of the duchess of montrose, who had gone to school for public relations in oxford. her approach to the crown princess’ public image was to make the crown princess look as regal and intelligent as possible, someone who the public would entrust their well-being to, not just as a mouth-piece, but also a true leader. helena would seek various engagements in universities, both domestic and international, as well as conferences and seminars that would boost catherine’s intellectual image. however, she also insisted in various television talkshows of the informal nature to make her more relatable, if shows like graham norton was good enough for an american presidential candidate, it certainly was good enough for catherine stuart.

business manager : ronald wishart ( winston duke )

as the crown princess, catherine had to juggle a great deal of commitments outside of engagements of the crown. ronald was a shining graduate of harvard business school and came highly recommended by her acquaintances, who gave up his career in climbing up the company ladder of some forbes top 100 company to take care of the numerous charitable and business ventures that catherine was a part of. he became the main liaison for the many ceos that work for her, as well as the person who kept an eye on her numerous investments. ronald is charming, the way most business men are, and flourished in catherine’s household, as he rubbed elbows with dukes and duchesses that paid court to the royal family.

head physician : lady elsie sinclair of linlithglow ( sally hawkins )

it is required for all members of the royal family to have their own attending physician whenever they travel, or in the case of members that have already branched out to form their own families, to have a team of physicians on standby at all times. elsie sinclair was the only daughter of the marquess of linlithglow and sister to the future marquess, and was an accomplished trauma surgeon of her own right before being employed by the royal family. considering catherine’s general health and lack of immediate medical problems, she spends most of her free time in her private practice.

[catherinestuart-a]

HSHQ TASK thirty-two —– NAMES oh what’s in a name

CATHERINE ELIZABETH GRACE STUART

C A T H E R I N E : her parents used the typical western spelling and pronunciation of the scottish-gaelic name, catrìona, officially referencing the great martyr saint catherine as the heir’s main namesake. the legend of saint catherine started ever since she was a studious child who grew up to become an eloquent speaker that had won a debate against the pagan emperor maxentius. offended, the emperor captured and tortured the then eighteen year old girl for her pro-christian arguments, however, she was believed to be kept alive by food and light from heaven, and lived through her conditions. during her 12 days in prison, she was wrapped in salve by angels and visited by more than 200 people, including the empress, who immediately converted to christianity after meeting with her. on the twelfth day, the door of her prison burst open and a burst of light and perfume flooded the room alongside a radiant and completely healthy catherine. the emperor was so deterred that he proposed to her, to which she refused, declaring only feeling love for christ.

the patron saint of scholars and wifely chastity, the queen and prince consort wished for their eldest daughter to be as great an orator as the virgin martyr as well as blessed with feminine virtue.

E L I Z A B E T H : the name means ‘my god is abundance’, many royal commenters have deduced that the name came from elizabeth, the winter queen, daughter of james vi and v, and grandmother to george i. some people had taken this as the ambitions of the queen to continue her dynasty upon the english as well as scottish throne.

G R A C E : a relatively popular scottish name, grace means: effortless beauty, gracefulness, and elegance. in the middle ages, the name was mainly attributed to the worship and devotion to the blessed virgin mary, as well as a reference to god’s grace.

S T U A R T : the house stuart, a royal scottish house since 1371 until 1603, then later from 1688 to 1714. the house was finally restored after the act of the breaking of the crowns of england, ireland, and scotland in 1832, and have been ruling scotland independently ever since.

notes:

i obviously don’t know the collective history of england, ireland, and scotland uniting and then breaking in terms of this rp’s au, but yeah ya girl tried to be vague.

[catherinestuart-a]

HSHQ TASK nineteen —– VOICE a little posh scottish lass

mah maw tauld me 'at ah was a handful as bairn, aw fussy an' aw 'at, sae she was determinit 'at ah willnae be a fussy groon up.

accent ( example )

it’s a strange thing, to be so secluded in one’s formative years and be thoroughly trained in a public-friendly accent, which at the same time, wouldn’t alienate the specifically nationalistic scottish. her tutor was french, with the typical french-english accent, but her speech tutor was unapologetically scottish, with the most charming morningside accent. the queen had been insistent of a friendly scottish twang in all of her children, wanting for them to be accepted by the public the moment they opened their mouths-- they couldn’t deny that the scottish would like to be led by one of their own. so catherine’s own accent had heavy influence from her speech tutor, a posh edinburgh-morningside twinge in a typically soft english accent.

languages

scots and scottish-gaelic, taught by her speech tutor, an essential for a future scottish ruler.

french and spanish, taught by her childhood tutor. who also taught her basic latin, igniting her interest in classical studies that she pursued somewhat in university

german, introduced by her father and further taught during her time in gordonstoun; a school with traditionally german roots

italian, learnt during her year abroad in rome. ( y’know what they say, the only way to become fluent in a language is to sleep with a native speaker )

talking speed

catherine speaks in a slow measured speed in public settings, very much aware of her volume and enunciating every word perfectly -- not in a condescending sort of way, of course -- as she was taught. however in private, she speaks marginally faster, a tad more careless.

vocabulary

a perfect princess and thorough orator in pubic, everyone could tell that she’s a girl with a master’s degree. however, catherine swears far too much in private and quotes hobbes far too often. it’s quite infuriating.