Dear Mrs. Kennedy
This episode focuses on the (fictionalized) relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Jacqueline Kennedy. In real life the two did meet, the royals had the Americans over for dinner and they did formally hang-out one more time before the assassination of President Kennedy. Did Jackie inspire Elizabeth to make a bold move with Kwame Nkrumah, the president of Ghana? Did Jackie use Elizabeth as a Gal Pal Confessional? Was the Kennedy marriage really the abusive and drug filled union that was depicted in this episode? Did we get dizzy with this huge leap in time from 1961 to 1963 within the episode?
We go over all of that. We’ve been waiting for this convergence of our worlds!
This episode takes us from the palace in Ghana…
Little known fact, these are Gray Crowned Cranes, the national bird of Uganda.
…to a wet rainy field in England. Ghana’s weather looks a lot nicer.
Elizabeth feeling old and useless and getting over that is a running theme in this episode.
We see a few moments of the Queen Mum…
Heavenly Mac n’ Cheese—fork tines down. Also, note the glass of pink on end table.
…and worry about what to wear to a very important formal, but informal, dinner. See the blue dress? Strapless.
It never looks like it does on the model.
Forget your constitutional crisis, Elizabeth is having a fashion crisis (while Philip nags and schemes for a seat next to Mrs. Kennedy.)
Straps added! It’s okay, Elizabeth, sometimes we’re just a little puffy.
We chat about the casting of Jodi Balfour as Jackie and Michael C. Hall as JFK (big surprise, we disagreed) but we agreed about the dress and hair that don’t really resemble what Jackie really looked like that night.
Would Jackie REALLY sit on the arm of a sofa in someone else’s house? Also…pretty dress but the very different one Real Life Jackie wore was also lovely.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip host a dinner for President and Mrs. Kennedy. U. S. Department of State photograph in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.
Did they not get the protocol sheet?! Look away Martin, look away.
We’re big, super big, Porchey and now, Patrick fans. Here’s more about Patrick Plunket, the 7th Baron Plunket.
We could not love Porchey and Patrick any more than we do. As far as we can see, they are Elizbeth’s only true friends.
President Nkrumah and the Queen are daaahhhnsing!
When Jackie comes to Windsor Castle to apologize to Elizabeth, the Queen pulls out all the men with weapons.
And she also brought out all the pomp of a proper British tea.
That poor scone didn’t stand a chance.
It wasn’t until the last frame that we understood the title. Well done.
If you’re hankering for a little bit more Jackie Kennedy (a lot, this is only part one) we’re covering her on our The History Chicks bios, episode 101
A little bit more about Elveden Hall where the Ghana scenes were filmed in this blog post and from the estate’s own website, Elveden.
An article about the bells at Westminster Abbey
Want to do your own damage to a scone? Here’s a recipe for Clotted Cream:
Elizabeth and Jackie may not have been besties, but they did stay in contact, like in 1965 when the Queen invited the Jackie and the kids to a dedication of a memorial for JFK.
The Africa (and other continent) quiz. Beckett didn’t do so great the first time, but kept at it and eventually learned them all. FIND THE COUNTRIES IN AFRICA
“Be careful! It’s a rental!” Here’s more about the rental market of TVs in Great Britian in 1960.
We all might want to brush up on the proper procedures for meeting the Queen, Mental Floss
Interactive Buckingham Palace Expedition!
Windsor Castle tour!
Photo credit: Netflix; Stills: The History Chicks via Netflix
