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 💕
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.
ex boyfriend ( any prince, 28+ )
from 2017-2019, catherine had been shopping around for a new partner, a new venture — as it were, after the implosion in england and her breaking down of her deal with arthur jr. he is respectable, belongs to a powerful dynasty, it could become quite something! but they broke it off for what ever reason, and catherine turned her attention back to plan a, england, by the end of summer 2019 articles were released of her engagement to prince andrew of england.
former rivals, or former friends ( any title, 27+ )
maybe it was something from their university days, maybe it's one fuelled by ambition, but there is always an unpleasant feeling between them that stood the test of time.
protegée ( any title, under 26 )
this character would have to be somewhat politically inclined in one way or another. it could be equally beneficial for both to be politically connected, and it might even lead them to have a complicated relationship with catherine's sister effie!
ariel de bragança
secret ex-boyfriend ( any title, 27+ ) tw: kidnapping
it was the boyfriend she had around the time of her ordeal in spain. she didn't want to tell her family her real reason of going ( to visit him ) and lied instead, saying that she had a friend's art gallery that she had to visit. there might be some underlying/unfinished feelings there, we can plot it out!
fwbs ( any title )
it's a drought for her ok.
bully ( any title )
for some reason i'd really like someone to bully ariel. maybe they don't like her family and see her as an easy target? or that it's totally personal? open to ideas!
dianna yi
bitchy friends ( any title, 29+ )
yes i know she already has haera but they need more international gossip. preferably someone who spent a bit of time in new york? or else dianna travels anywhere to get away from korea so she location isn't really a problem.
sugar baby ( any title )
she's using her husband's money to bankroll some young thing she's sleeping with. probably only doing this to get under her husband's skin, if he doesn't have a problem with her cheating then maybe he'll have a problem with her draining his bank account?
rivals (?) ( any title )
a while ago dianna stole your character's boyfriend and it's pretty much war between the two characters up until now. or if its possible she's sleeping with someone's husband/boyfriend please anyone.
iretioluwa olowu
betrothed ( any title, 23+ )
maybe her brother and parents decided it's a good idea? the personal relationship between them would depend on the characters! but ireti wouldn't be banking on them lasting all the way to the aisle tbh.
the big ex ( any title 23-26 )
it's the ex that ireti followed all the way to whichever country they were and costed her the entirety of her skating career. there's probably unfinished feelings and awkwardness leftover, but where it goes is up for discussion!
one night stand but make it awkward ( any title, 23+ )
they slept with each other a while back and neither knew that the other was a royal. ireti doesn't really pay attention to stuff like that but she can't really forget a face, maybe bonus points if it was actually really good and now its more like: "haha that happened isn't that funny, now lets be cool w each other... unless-"
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.
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 ).
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.
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 !!!
