The Queen’s private family ‘despair’ revealed

One difficult aspect of the Queen’s family life has left the monarch “deeply upset” over the years, it’s been revealed.

The Queen was “deeply” upset that three out of four of her children’s marriages ended in divorce, according to a new biography about the royal family.

“Outwardly stoical, as ever, the Queen was finding the divorce talks deeply upsetting,” Robert Hardman wrote in his book,Queen of Our Times: The Life of Queen Elizabeth II, (via People.) “Another former member of the Household recalls that, every now and then, there would be a glimpse of her despair.”

The 95-year-old monarch’s two sons, Prince Charles and Prince Andrew, and her daughter Princess Anne, were all divorced, making her son, Prince Edward, her only child to stay married.

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The Queen has been left in “despair” over the years over the state of her children’s relationships. Picture: Getty

A former palace staffer disclosed to Hardman that the Queen was “distressed” much more than she ever let on.

“I said, ‘Ma’am, it seems to be happening everywhere. This is almost common practice,’” the former staffer recalled, adding, “But she just said, ‘Three out of four!’ in sheer sadness and exasperation. One shouldn’t underestimate the pain she’s been through.”

Her former press secretary, Charles Anson, also revealed in the book that the Queen always kept her cool, even in 1992 when the marriages of Charles, Andrew and Anne all came tumbling down.

Charles and Diana’s unhappy marriage ended in the royal family’s most infamous divorce. Picture: Getty

“I don’t remember a single occasion when I went to see her and she exclaimed, ‘No! What next?’” Anson told Hardman. “The issue was sometimes embarrassing, but she got on with it. It is immensely reassuring in those situations to work for someone who isn’t knocked back.”

Anson added that the queen was “never short; never irritable; completely steady.”

As for how the Queen handled the very public drama surrounding Charles and Princess Diana, Hardman wrote that staffers were impressed with how she could handle the scandal.

“Her mother’s strategy in these situations — to carry on as if they were not happening — had earned her the nickname ‘imperial ostrich’ among royal staff,” Hardman wrote. “The Queen’s response, as ever, was to follow the example of her father, absorbed from his days at sea, and to treat adversity like the ocean.”

The Queen with Sarah Ferguson (left) and Prince Andrew, who divorced in 1996 but remained friends. Picture: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty

He added, “While the Queen has sometimes been accused of being slow to act, there has never been a charge of panic. Her default mode in the face of a crisis is stillness.”

Charles, 73, and the late Diana divorced in 1996 after 15 years of marriage amid his cheating scandal with Camilla Parker Bowles, whom he married in 2005. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall will hold the title as “Queen Consort” when Charles becomes King.

Meanwhile, Princess Anne, 71, was married to Mark Phillips from 1973 to 1992. She remarried Timothy Laurence in 1992.

Prince Andrew, 62, was married to Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, from 1986 to 1996. He has since been accused of sexual abuse.

The Queen’s son, Prince Edward, 58, has been married to Sophie, Countess of Wessex since 1999.

This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission.