CityView Magazine

12 | March 2020 W S O M E D A Y Y O U ' L L T H A N K M E Do You Really Want to Be Queen for a Day? BY MARY ZAHRAN W hen I was a little girl, I used to dream of being a queen. My fantasy was fueled largely by "Queen for a Day," a television show that featured four women in each episode who competed for prizes and the right to wear the crown. Aer each woman told her life story—an account usually filled with hardships or heartache—the audience members would clap, and their reaction would register on an "applause meter." e contestant with the most applause would win, and she would receive a prize such as a refrigerator or a washer and dryer. e best part of the show, however, was when the "Queen" was given a fur-trimmed red velvet robe and a jeweled crown to wear as she mounted the steps to the throne, where a young girl placed a large bouquet of roses in her arms. At the age of 5, I didn't think life could get any better than this. Being a queen had to be the greatest job in the world. All you do every day is sit on a throne, wear a fur-trimmed cape and a jeweled crown, and clutch flowers to your bosom. And then I grew up and started reading history books and discovered what the lives of queens are really like. Let's begin with Eleanor of Aquitaine. Born in 1122, Eleanor was powerful in her own right, possessing great wealth and influence as the daughter of the Duke of Aquitaine. Married first to Louis VII of France and then to Henry II of England, she ruled alongside both husbands and gave birth to a total of 11 children. Strong-willed and independent, Eleanor foolishly sided with her eldest son when he plotted to take the throne from his father, Henry. e king retaliated by arresting Eleanor for treason and imprisoned her for 16 years, during which time she was shuttled between castles in England. While Eleanor outlived Henry and was later freed by her younger son, King Richard, she lived many years as a queen in exile, completely powerless to control her own life. And then there's Queen Elizabeth I, who ruled England from 1558 until 1603. e popular image of Elizabeth is that of a woman with a dramatically pale face and an iron will who refused to marry and sacrifice her independence. Her reign was considered a "golden age" in which the English Navy defeated the Spanish Armada and the country prospered through trade. e arts also flourished: some guy named William Shakespeare wrote a few plays that are still popular today. For all her accomplishments, Elizabeth faced many hardships; she survived many challenges to her throne, usually by executing those who plotted against her. She dealt with religious conflicts between Catholics and Protestants and with the threat of wars with Spain and France. While Elizabeth enjoyed great power and wealth, she also spent her entire life waiting for someone to overthrow or assassinate her. Her decision never to marry made her independent, but it also meant that she shouldered her royal responsibilities all by herself. Like Elizabeth, Queen Victoria presided over a golden age. Only 18 when she ascended to the throne in 1837, Victoria was the longest-reigning monarch in British history when she died in 1901. She presided over the expansion of the British Empire and also over an unparalleled period of political, economic, and social change in England. Unlike Elizabeth, Victoria married, and she gave birth to nine children. (Perhaps the Queen was not so "Victorian"

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