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14
DorotaBabilas
Field’sTheFavouritein2003.Evenbeforethat,thesexualinnuendoofthe
DuchessofMarlborough’smemoirs,intendedtocompromisetheQueen,bore
unexpectedfruitwhenAnneandSarah,quitesuddenly,were-forbetteror
forworse-awardedthestatusofcelebritylesbians.Paradoxically,thesame
argumentsthatusedtoberaisedinordertodiscredittheQueen,werenow
voicedto“save”her,inthemindsofthepublic,fromthesinworseinmodern
eyesthansexualindiscretion,thatisbeingdismissedasboringandinsignificant.
OpheliaFieldnotesthattheprocessofcreationofthepositiveimageof
AnneasthelesbianQueenofGreatBritainstartedinthe1970swhen
“acollectionentitledLesbianLivesstatedwithabsoluteconfidencethatthey
[SarahandAnne]hadaphysicalrelationshipafter1692,ifnotbefore.”10
InField’sview,however,thereisnotenoughevidencetosupporttheclaim
thattherewaseveracarnalsidetotheintenseemotionalfriendshipbetween
thetwoladies.InherarticleforTheGayandLesbianReviewshewrites:“itis
unlikelythattheirrelationshipwaseverphysicallyconsummated,notleast
becauseAnnewasaninvalidformostofheradultlife:4exceedinglygrossand
corpulent,’asSarahputit,disfiguredbysmallpox,gout,andendlesslyfailing
pregnancies.”
11
RuthHermanalsoadmitsthatalthough“Annewasindeed
devotedtoSarahChurchill,andmuchhasbeenmadeofthepassionateletters
shewrotetoher,”shehasfound“noevidenceatallofanydirectaccusations
ofhomosexualitylevelledagainstQueenAnneherself.Infacttoallintents
andpurposes,QueenAnnewasanexemplarywifeandwould-bemother.She
wasawell-lovedqueen,consideredtobedutiful,ChristianandAnglican,
devotedtoherpeople.”AnneSomerset,inQueenAnne.ThePoliticsofPassion
12
(2013)concludesthattheDuchess’saccusationsseemungrounded,especially
asshetookgreatcaretoarguethatherownrelationshipwiththeQueenwas
nevereroticinnature:“TheDuchess’sallegationsmightcarrymoreweightif
shehadbeencontenttoletitbethoughtthatAnne’searlierfeelingstowards
herhadasexualcomponent,butshedidnotacknowledgethepossibility.Toher,
lesbianismwasadisgustingvice,withwhichshehadneverbeentainted.”13
RepresentationsofQueenAnneinworksofliteraryfiction,bothEnglishand
French,arerelativelyrareandmostlynegative.Atbest,sheisdescribedas
uninspiredandmundane,atworst(asinVictorHugo’s1869historicalnovel
10
OpheliaField.“QueenAnne’sLadies”inTheGayandLesbianReview.1May2004.
11
Ibid.
12
RuthHerman.“DarkDeedsatNight”inQueerPeople:NegotiationsandExpressions
ofHomosexuality1700-1800.Ed.ChrisMounseyandCarolineGonda.CramburyNJ,
2007,p.206.
13
AnneSomerset.QueenAnne.ThePoliticsofPassion.London2013,p.934.
