Bible's King David's story somewhat repeats itself in during Queen Elizabeth II's monarchy's reign

[bartmac123]

I try Not to get too distracted by news and current affairs too much,
but the recent death of Queen Elizabeth II who was supposedly a
Christian caught my attention. ( Supposedly she did seek Christian
counsel from Billy Graham during her lifetime).

This might be a bit of a stretch but I would like to sort of put forth
the following analogy:

Queen Elizabeth II  ---sort of roughly equivalent to----Bible Old
Testament's King David

Prince Charles (now King Charles III)  ----( sort of roughly
equivalent to)------Prince Amnon ( one of King David's son who was
initially the heir to the throne prior to being killed )

Princess Diana ---( sort of roughly equivalent to 2 Bible characters
)----Bible Old Testament's Prince Absalom ( one of King David's sons
who revolted against him ) and Princess Tamar ( one of King David's
daughters who was raped by her half-brother Amnon )

Prince Philip, Princess Ann, Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth Queen
Mother ---( sort of roughly equivalent to )  --- Joab ( Commander
of David's army)

King David was Certainly Not a perfect person, but I do want to point
out some of the many honorable aspects about King David's life:

1)-Bible Scripture emphasizes clearly that David is man after God's
own Heard as evidenced by the following 2 bible verses:

a) (Acts 13:22) After He had removed him, He raised up David to be
their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found
David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My
[a]will.’

b) (1 Samuel 13:14) But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord
has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has
appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what
the Lord commanded you.”

2) When King Saul became an enemy of David, and started to hunt for
David, the response from King David was broadly compassionate &
gracious.

a) For example, in 1 Samuel 24:10-22, David responded to King Saul's
attempts to hunt David by restraining himself by Not responding
violently when he had a chance to kill King Saul in a cave, but
instead spoke to King Saul by claiming that he did Not want to harm
King Saul:
(1 Samuel 24:10)Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord had
given you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you,
but my eye had pity on you; and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my
hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s
anointed.’".....................more
scripture..........................more
scripture.............................................
(1 Samuel 24:13) As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the
wicked comes forth wickedness’; but my hand shall not be against you.

b) Another example, in (1 Samuel 25:33-34) David listens to Godly
wisdom provided by Abigail which Stopped him from taking revenge:

( 1 Samuel 25:33-34 ) 33 and blessed be your discernment, and blessed
be you, who have kept me this day from [a]bloodshed and from avenging
myself by my own hand. 34 Nevertheless, as the Lord God of Israel
lives, who has restrained me from harming you, unless you had come
quickly to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal
until the morning light as much as one male.”

I'm Not saying Queen Elizabeth II was a perfect person( just like King
David was Not a perfect person), but I do want to point out some
honorable aspects about her life ( just like King David was honorable
):

-At a very young age of 25 years old, she responsibly and dutifully
took the throne when her father suddenly unexpectedly died.

-For the most part, she kept a neutral role in politics but would
always diligently give her best advice in private to UK Prime Minister
on major issues
--------Queen Elizabeth II wanted sanctions against South African
apartheid but the UK Prime Minister at the time, Margaret Thatcher,
did Not want to enforce sanctions against South Africa (
https://www.biography.com/news/queen-elizabeth-ii-margaret-thatcher-relationship
 )

-Queen Elizabeth II remained loyal to her husband, Prince Philip, in
their marriage even though her husband was a womanizer and adulterer
when they were young married couple.

 

Let's start off by looking at the similarities between King David to
Queen Elizabeth II.
Other than David's illicit affair with Bathsheba, and his
responsibility for the murder of her husband, Uriah, let's also try to
analyze another sinful act by David that involved his inability to
bring justice after hearing about Amon raping his half-sister Tamar.

**It's very important and interesting to note that David merely had a
galling silent angry reaction when it came to hearing about Amnon
raping his half-sister Tamar, and David did Not enforce any sort of
justice as a response:
(2 Samuel 13:21 ) Now when King David heard of all these matters, he
was very angry.**

 Queen Elizabeth II also was guilty of quasi-inaction because she, for
the most part, ignored Princess Diana's complaints about her husband,
Prince Charles, in regards to her adulterous love affair with Camilla
Parker Bowles:

 

( Credited Reference:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/11/06/princess-diana-queen-elizabeth-relationship/
)

(Quote)"Tensions emerged between Diana and the royal family, including
the queen, when their marriage hit romantic and then tabloid troubles.
The relationship worsened as Diana suffered from bulimia.

Diana told biographer Andrew Morton that during one conversation with
the queen, “she indicated to me that the reason why our marriage had
gone downhill was because Prince Charles was having such a difficult
time with my bulimia.”

“She hung her coat on the hook, so to speak,” Diana continued,
according to Morton. “And it made me realize that they all saw that as
the cause of the marriage problems and not one of the symptoms.”

Diana kept trying to confide in her mother-in-law. The queen, now 95,
grew weary of it all.

One afternoon, Diana stopped by to visit the queen and was made to
wait. “The princess,” a palace footman told the queen, according to
Seward, “cried three times in half-an-hour while she was waiting to
see you.” The queen’s reply: “I had her for an hour — and she cried
nonstop.”

In public, even as rumors of the prince’s affairs swirled, Diana was
still saying the right things — that the prince supported her, that he
was a good father and husband. “That was not what she was telling the
queen in their private meetings,” Seward wrote. “Charles, Diana kept
saying, was letting down the monarchy.”

The queen couldn’t deal with her daughter-in-law anymore. “Faced with
a situation that was slipping out of her control,” Seward wrote, “the
queen retreated from the problem and started seeing less of Diana.”

( Credited Reference:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/11/06/princess-diana-queen-elizabeth-relationship/
)

Let's now see the similarities between the bible characters named
Princess Tamar and Prince Absalom, and Princess Diana of modern day's
UK's monarchy.

Princess Tamar and Prince Absalom were really physically attractive
just like Princess Diana was attractive:

(2 Samuel 13:1 ) Now it was after this that Absalom the son of David
had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon the son of
David loved her.

(2 Samuel 14:25-27 ) Now in all Israel was no one as handsome as
Absalom, so highly praised; from the sole of his foot to the crown of
his head there was no defect in him. 26 When he cut the hair of his
head (and it was at the end of every year that he cut it, for it was
heavy on him so he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head at 200
shekels by the king’s weight. 27 To Absalom there were born three
sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a woman of
beautiful appearance.

Forgive me, however, it's also important to note that 2 Samuel
16:20-22 recounts Prince Absalom's promiscuous lifestyle when had sex
with his father's concubines( who during King David's reign were
responsible for the upkeep of the Royal palaces, etc. ) which was
somewhat similar Princess Diana's promiscuous lifestyle:

(2 Samuel 16:20-22)
20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your advice. What shall we
do?” 21 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s
concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; then all Israel will
hear that you have made yourself odious to your father. The hands of
all who are with you will also be strengthened.” 22 So they pitched a
tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to his father’s
concubines in the sight of all Israel.

Not to sound vulgar, here is a listing of Princess Diana's numerous
extra-marital affairs:
----------------------(Credit Reference:
https://www.tatler.com/gallery/princess-diana-boyfriends-lovers
)------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barry Albert Mannakee – 1985
Mannakee worked as a police officer with the Royal Protection Squad
before being assigned to Princess Diana as a bodyguard in 1985. Palace
rumours circulated of an affair between the two of them that
ultimately led to his dismissal from the role a year later. In 1987 he
was killed in a motorcycle accident that led to conspiracy theories
that his death had been planned. These were fuelled by Diana in a
video later obtained by NBC, where she confessed, ‘I was only happy
when he was around,’ and she described his death as, ‘the biggest blow
of my life’. She also said: ‘I think he was bumped off, but there we
are.’ He was never mentioned by name in the secret tapes – when she
spoke of a man she was in love with – but it was assumed she was
referring to him. In the tapes she said she was ‘deeply in love’ with
the unidentified security guard and was ‘quite happy to give all this
up and to just go off and live with him’. The death of Mannakee was
reinvestigated during the inquiry into the death of Diana, as part of
Operation Paget, overseen by Sir John Stevens.
James Hewitt – 1986-1992
The dashing former Household Cavalry officer and tank commander began
his five-year affair with Diana in 1986 after they met at a cocktail
party, with Diana later confessing to the romance in the 1995 BBC
Panorama interview – much contested this past year, 25 years on. The
affair happened at the same time that Prince Charles was widely
reported to have been cheating on Diana with his ex-girlfriend,
Camilla Parker Bowles. The metaphorical rug was pulled from under the
relationship when Hewitt was deployed to serve in the Gulf War, before
splitting permanently, when their affair was exposed. Diana’s former
protection officer and confidante, Ken Wharfe, wrote about the affair
in his book Diana: Closely Guarded Secret with the cooperation of
Hewitt – which was said to leave the Princess heartbroken. The
Princess later revealed: ‘I was in love with him. But I was very let
down’.
Oliver Hoare – 1992 to 1994
Diana embarked on an affair with old Etonian art dealer Oliver Hoare,
who was 16 years her senior, in the early nineties. Hoare, 46 at the
time, was actually a friend of Diana’s husband, Prince Charles, and he
and his wife, Diane de Waldner de Freundstein (from a wealthy French
oil family) had stayed at Windsor on multiple occasions. In Diana’s
former bodyguard’s book Diana: Closely Guarded Secret, Ken Wharfe
wrote: ‘The Princess was instantly attracted to him. Diana later
confessed to me that she had felt a little shy when, at Windsor, she
shook his hand for the first time, and had blushed as she flirted with
him. That conversation ended abruptly when Charles and the Queen
Mother joined them.’ One night, Hoare was found by a policeman hiding
behind a potted tree smoking a cigar after the fire alarm sounded at
Kensington Palace where Diana had her apartment. On another occasion,
he was said to have been seen entering Kensington Palace via the boot
of Diana's car. The affair came to an end owing to Hoare’s refusal to
leave his wife and Diana is thought to have become a little over
infatuated when she rang his Chelsea home 300 times in one night.
Hoare died of cancer on 23 August 2018.
----------------------(Credit Reference:
https://www.tatler.com/gallery/princess-diana-boyfriends-lovers
)------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The Bible character named Prince Amnon is somewhat similar to Prince Charles.

Both are the heir apparent to their thrones.

Here is the bible passage that mentions Prince Amnon's raping his
half-sister, Tamar, and then subsequently intensely hating her:

(2 Samuel 13:11-22 ) When she brought them to him to eat, he took hold
of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” 12 But she
answered him, “No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is
not done in Israel; do not do this disgraceful thing! 13 As for me,
where could I [a]get rid of my reproach? And as for you, you will be
like one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the
king, for he will not withhold me from you.” 14 However, he would not
listen to [c]her; since he was stronger than she, he violated her and
lay with her.

15 Then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred; for the hatred with
which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved
her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up, go away!” 16 But she said to him,
“No, because this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other
that you have done to me!” Yet he would not listen to her. 17 Then he
called his young man who attended him and said, “Now throw this woman
out of my presence, and lock the door behind her.” 18 Now she had on a
[d]long-sleeved garment; for in this manner the virgin daughters of
the king dressed themselves in robes. Then his attendant took her out
and locked the door behind her. 19 Tamar put [e]ashes on her head and
tore her [f]long-sleeved garment which was on her; and she put her
hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went.

20 Then Absalom her brother said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been
with you? But now keep silent, my sister, he is your brother; do not
take this matter to heart.” So Tamar remained and was desolate in her
brother Absalom’s house. 21 Now when King David heard of all these
matters, he was very angry. 22 But Absalom did not speak to Amnon
either good or bad; for Absalom hated Amnon because he had violated
his sister Tamar.

Now, Prince Charles's troubled marriage to Princess Diana is certainly
Not tantamount to Prince Amnon raping Princess Tamar.  However, Prince
Charles and Princess Diana's marriage did End painfully:

(credited reference:
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/charles-and-diana-divorce
)

"Before long, however, the fairy tale couple grew apart, an experience
that was particularly painful under the ubiquitous eyes of the world’s
tabloid media. Diana and Charles announced a separation in 1992,
though they continued to carry out their royal duties. In August 1996,
two months after Queen Elizabeth II urged the couple to divorce, the
prince and princess reached a final agreement. In exchange for a
generous settlement, and the right to retain her apartments at
Kensington Palace and her title of “Princess of Wales,” Diana agreed
to relinquish the title of “Her Royal Highness” and any future claims
to the British throne.

In the year following the divorce, the popular princess seemed well on
her way to achieving her dream of becoming “a queen in people’s
hearts,” but on August 31, 1997, she was killed with her companion
Dodi Fayed in a car accident in Paris."

(credited reference:
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/charles-and-diana-divorce
)

We, as bible readers, can probably infer/deduce that David's silence,
and lack of enforcing justice as King of Israel in response to Amon
raping Tamar is what led to Absalom's violent & vicious response.

Princess Diana's response to how Queen Elizabeth II and the royal
family for the most part ignored her complaints about Prince Charles's
illicit affair with Camilla Parker Bowles might Not have been as
violent and vicious as Absalom which involved killing his brother
Amnon out of revenge, and then leading a violent coup but it still was
damaging to Queen Elizabeth II's monarchy.  Princess Diana publicly
battled against Queen Elizabeth II and her royal family by using the
media and press.

To elaborate, she was secretly involved in Indirectly encouraging the
writing of a tell-all book:

( Credited Reference:
https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/30/world/now-it-can-be-told-1992-tell-all-book-s-source-was-diana.html
)
(Quote) "The principal source disclosing details of the Princess of
Wales's unhappy marriage to Prince Charles and her troubled relations
with the royal family for the 1992 book ''Diana, Her True Story,'' was
Diana herself, the author, Andrew Morton, said today."
( Credited Reference:
https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/30/world/now-it-can-be-told-1992-tell-all-book-s-source-was-diana.html
)

Furthermore, Princess Diana also went to give a public TV interview
about the troubles behind her marriage:

https://youtu.be/8lflg5m7cbY?t=36

Also, more specifically, Search the internet for Princess Diana's 20
November 1995 BBC
Interview where she stated “I’d like to be a queen of people’s hearts”
( Side Note: Understand the similarity with Absalom's
rising popularity among the Israelites by grandstanding which is
recounted in the ( 2 Samuel 15:1-6 ) bible passage. )

(2 Samuel 15:1-6)
15 Now it came about after this that Absalom provided for himself a
chariot and horses and fifty men as runners before him. 2 Absalom used
to rise early and stand beside the way to the gate; and when any man
had a suit to come to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him
and say, “From what city are you?” And he would say, “Your servant is
from one of the tribes of Israel.” 3 Then Absalom would say to him,
“See, your [a]claims are good and right, but no man listens to you on
the part of the king.” 4 Moreover, Absalom would say, “Oh that one
would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has any suit or
cause could come to me and I would give him justice.” 5 And when a man
came near to prostrate himself before him, he would put out his hand
and take hold of him and kiss him. 6 In this manner Absalom dealt with
all Israel who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole away
the hearts of the men of Israel.

( -------------------------------------------------- Credit Reference:
https://www.vox.com/culture/21593569/princess-diana-explainer-crown-netflix-marilyn-monroe-britney-spears-innocence
  )

When pop culture’s princesses are virgins, the press treats their
sexuality as unthreatening. They are hot, but not in a scary way; they
don’t know what they’re doing; they are safe to want.

But if they begin to wield their sexuality knowingly, everything
changes. And their relationship with the public changes, too.

The big question with Diana, the question on the cover of The Diana
Chronicles: How much of it did she do on purpose?

“Was she ‘the people’s princess,’ who electrified the world with her
beauty and humanitarian missions?” asks Brown. “Or was she a
manipulative, media-savvy neurotic who nearly brought down the
monarchy?”

Any honest reckoning of Diana would have to say the answer to that
question is both. She was beautiful; she did have a remarkable gift
for connecting with disenfranchised people doing humanitarian work —
and she also spent much of her time as Princess of Wales in the grips
of bulimia and suicidal ideation, using her skill with the press as
her most potent weapon against the Windsors.

**Throughout Diana’s marriage to Charles, she consistently outshined
and outworked him. At public gatherings and charity events, she was
able to genuinely connect with the crowds in a way Charles couldn’t.
She would crouch down on her knees to talk to the kids. She would
shake hands with an AIDS patient. Such moments established both her
reputation as the “people’s princess” — the saint in the killer
designer suit who could love her subjects more than anyone else could,
who could transcend the monarchy — and her reputation as a schemer who
was upstaging the monarchy on purpose, out of selfishness and greed.
And after Diana’s divorce from Charles in 1996, as she partied her way
across multiple continents and began campaigning against land mines,
those two ideas became ever stronger.**

But Brown frames her question in a way that suggests these two
opposing images of Diana are mutually exclusive. The idea that Diana
might have been intentionally using the press, that she might have
desired to be as famous and beloved as she was and that she might have
intentionally wielded her beauty and charisma to get there, seems to
somehow negate the idea of saintly Diana, the people’s princess.

And if Diana courted the press, if she used them in the same way they
used her — well, how does that square with the way she died? How can
we say that Diana was using the press that drove her off the road and
to her death?

( -------------------------------------------------- Credit Reference:
https://www.vox.com/culture/21593569/princess-diana-explainer-crown-netflix-marilyn-monroe-britney-spears-innocence

  )

All of Princess Diana's aforementioned public responses really did
hurt the public image of Queen Elizabeth II, and her royal family.

Finally, Just like Absalom's violent death, Princess Diana also died violently

To me, it was really interesting how Bible stories sometimes are
repeated in today's world.
(Major Side Conclusion: A Highly relevant bible verse associated with
Princess Diana's story is (Ecclesiastes 9:11) "I again saw under the
sun that the race is Not to the swift and the battle is Not to the
warriors, and Neither is bread to the wise Nor wealth to the
discerning Nor favor to men of ability; for time and chance overtake
them all." The reason being is that Princess Diana was very physically
attractive and had an aristocratic background but was Not loved by her
royal princely husband, and was merely used by other men in her life
for short-term flings.  Therefore, even though you might expect her to
have a happy family life by being in a royal marriage with wonderful
children, her life was a tragedy.  )

Edited November 7, 2022 by bartmac123