People asked when I would marry as if ruling a kingdom was a casual side quest. by Elizabeth I

Elizabeth, marriage was not a side quest. It was diplomacy with seating problems.

Henry, you are exactly why I kept the seating chart empty.

A queen without a husband makes insecure men reach for procedure.

Procedure keeps kingdoms stable, Catherine.

No, Henry. Competence keeps kingdoms stable. Procedure just signs the receipt.

And somehow the receipt always asks where the man is.

I did not avoid marriage because I lacked options. I avoided becoming someone else’s subplot.