Royal Plant Pots:
a review of 'The Queen and I' by Sue Townsend
Sue Townsend is perhaps better-known for the Adrian Mole Diaries series, which explores Middle England teenage angst. In 'The Queen and I', Townsend looks at a different section of society - the plight of the ordinary poor. The People's Republican Party wins the 1992 general election and immediately proceeds to abolish the British Monarchy and implement a range of extravagant left-wing campaign promises. In what appears to be a surfeit of spite, the senior members of the Royal Family are cast into humiliating poverty, forced to live on a council estate and claim benefits. In the process, both they and the ordinary families around them interact with each other and also with various 'middle-class'-type people, including the police, a social worker and bureaucrats at the local benefits office. This novel shows very well the perceptions that different class groups in society have of each other and how this subtly affects day-to-day experiences, though the apparent comedic nature of the novel means that these experiences are presented in an exaggerated way. From 'dishing it out', the Royal Family now have to 'suffer' the life of ordinary people 'on the receiving end'. Looked at from a jaundiced angle, this book is not really about the Royal Family or the British Monarchy at all. They merely serve as a metaphor for the ups and downs of 'the rest of us', especially those of us who suffer a dramatic fall in fortunes. It is self-evident that people look at the world differently depending on their economic position in society, but this story also reflects the contempt felt by the poor for those 'above' them.
The controlling force in society is presented as the middle-class - the professionals who mess with people's lives, and the populist politicians responsible for the 'revolution'. This is a naive perspective politically - indeed, the whole basis of the story is outlandish. Revolutions do happen 'from the middle', but they are not true revolutions. The basic power structures in society remain - be it the French Revolutions, the American Revolution, and so on - but I think the author understands this. Notably, it is never suggested that the People's Republican Party Prime Minister, Jack Barker, should also be required to live among ordinary people. Instead, he is chauffeured around and allowed to live the life to which he has become accustomed, which I think is a subtle and clever touch. I also liked the ending. It's a topic that has become a subject of mild controversy among readers and reviewers, but for me the ending chosen by Townsend for this story leaves a sense of ambiguity, which for me is appealing in any story because it lets the reader's imagination go on own journey beyond the book itself.
What is also interesting is the way that Townsend shows us how the distinct personal qualities of each Royal play out in the 'real world'. So we have the Stoic qualities of the Queen herself, the eccentricity and opinionated rebelliousness of Charles, the shallow vulnerability of Diana, and so on. Much of the story is taken up with how these qualities lead the characters into strife. Perhaps if the author had explored that theme a little more, in a serious or genuinely satiric way, that would have made for a stronger plot and opened up an opportunity for the characters to develop. For instance, Charles might have become emotionally much closer to the Queen. As it is, this doesn't really happen. There is some character development, but it's limited and it's framed within a very crude and farcical attitude of poking fun at royalty and ordinary people respectively on the basis of superficial class issues. There is also the sense of the author is asking us to laugh at those who suffer a dramatic decline in economic fortune, as if there is some vague notion of 'justice' in it. I just didn't find it funny. In the author's head, the Royal Family are not so much three-dimensional human beings, but a bunch of plant pots who can't grasp basic domestic duties, without considerable trouble, and who suffer from crushing social ineptitude. I get the impression that, by extension, that is what the author thinks of a certain type of successful person, whether Royal or not. That's not to say the book is hostile, either to the Royal Family or the British Monarchy, nor any group in society. Nor does it paint the various characters in an entirely bad light, but the general theme is how the Royal Family should be brought down a peg or two to see what 'real life' is like, which is not - to my mind - a sympathetic agenda. Is it funny? The author seems to think so and she goes to great efforts to convince us too - and judging by the reviews, lots of readers do find it funny, or pretend they do. I have a pretty broad sense of humour - and I am not a supporter of monarchy - but try as I might, I was left cold by this book.
