Darling, listen to me.I made my choice. Duty to my country over love.It’s what I’ve always done, it seems. It was drummed into me my whole life. Now I’ve lost the only man I ever really loved. Mia, I want you to make your choices as a woman. Don’t make the same mistakes I did.Make your own mistakes. There’ll be plenty of them, believe me. Now, you can go back into that church and get married, or you can walk away. Whatever choice you make, Iet it come from your heart.
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) dir. Garry Marshall
Alicent literally admitting to Rhaenys that she would’ve been a better ruler than viserys !! That viserys would’ve been better as a nobleman, that Rhaenys was better fit and being passed off because she was a woman was mistake, only to THEN ASK rhaenys to do the same thing to Rhaenyra. Like alicent must know that Rhaenyra is better fit than aegon, the rapist who doesn’t even want the crown, but despite that alicent feels compelled to unseat the true queen for a man. It’s such a great depiction of how the patriarchy works because until Rhaenys points out that alicent could be on the throne, alicent only ever thought of her position as one to guide the men who hold power over her to peace. Alicent is such a victim to the brainwashing of Otto and the society around her, but god does that not justify how her actions affect the women around her
