Relationship repairs My latest Netflix obsession has been The Crown, with season two premiering this past weekend. There is an intense and unique dynamic between Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, due to the large power disparity in their relationship. The Queen is considered the highest-ranking official in the Church of England, while Prince Philip was not granted his full title until years after marrying into the royal family. He is also outranked by his son, Prince Charles, heir to the throne, a detail that bothers him throughout the series. The show begins at the beginning of the Queen's reign, in a time when traditional weddings were the only kind. Prince Philip's relative lack of power in the relationship becomes the crux of their relationship difficulties as he becomes increasingly insecure. In an era where men were the undisputed leaders of the family, this unconventional relationship continues to create conflict in many different circumstances. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Philip seems to alternate between supporting the young monarch and showing bitter resentment. There were various aspects of the protocol that continued to bother the prince, such as having to walk behind the queen instead of beside her, and the fact that the English government prevented him from passing his surname on to his children. It is later revealed that Prince Philip had a very harsh upbringing and appears to cling to his ideals of masculinity to help define himself. His father was exiled from his homeland when Philip was only one year old, while his mother was institutionalized in Germany. He has become the man he is and his lack of influence in the relationship makes him feel restless and helpless. One of the biggest conflicts early in their marriage was the question of whether or not he would kneel before the Queen at her coronation. He was adamantly against the idea, yet he still had to kneel before his wife on live television across the country. Time and time again, Prince Philip had it thrown in his face how little power he actually held. Power refers to an individual's ability to exert control over others and influence their actions. A core concept of this power is dominance, which is the expression of power through the act of maintaining influence over one's relational partner. Guerrero, Andersen, and Afifi argue that people considered "interpersonally dominant tend to possess at least some combination of the following characteristics: poise, panache, self-assurance, and the ability to control the conversation." (GAA, page 316). Self-confidence is linked to an individual's focus, drive, and leadership qualities, all characteristics that the Queen possesses. As the reigning sovereign of England, Queen Elizabeth has undergone extensive training to exercise poise under the pressure of all types of situations. From the age of ten he received formal training in maintaining composure and learning to control conversations. The Queen of England is a powerful figure who must be considered perfectly disciplined at all times, otherwise the illusion of the British people would be shattered. Conversational control “refers to an individual's ability to manage a conversation by doing such things as regulating who speaks and how long the interaction will last” (GAA, p. 317). There is a specific example that is particularly fitting: the intercom thatthe Queen uses for her meetings. Most of the Queen's meetings with important social and political figures, such as the Prime Minister or another member of the royal family, were held in the same room. First, she would hold out her hand and they would bow their heads and kiss the back of her hand in deference. Then, everyone else in the room would wait until the Queen had sat down to sit down themselves. Therefore, Queen Elizabeth initiates every interaction with complete control of the situation. When she has decided that the meeting is over, she presses the intercom on the table next to her, which alerts the doorman who will send it to the next person. The doors open and the Queen stands, a crystal clear message that the meeting is over. Queen Elizabeth's royal status gives her clear objective power over the citizens of her country, including Prince Philip. While people with objective power may fail to influence others if they are not perceived as powerful, the Queen asserts her dominance quite comprehensively. “People who use power signals and act forcefully tend to be perceived as powerful” (GAA, p. 317) and Queen Elizabeth does just that. Using the buzzer to end a meeting is a clear sign of power, but she also shows other signs of power in her relationship with the Prince. Unfortunately, “excessive power or frequent power plays often cripple close relationships” (GAA, p. 322) due to the fact that “few people enjoy being dominated or manipulated and often respond to power plays with resistance, stubbornness, and defiance ” ( GAAA, p. 322). Prince Philip demonstrated all of these qualities from the beginning of the marriage, with his resistance to showing deference to his wife, as well as directly defying her orders by going on lavish excursions with members of a gentlemen's dining club. Stubbornness already seems to be an integral part of his personality, but the power imbalance in the relationship definitely hasn't helped. Queen Elizabeth was always willing to use the crown as a form of power play, citing it as the ultimate reason behind many of her decisions. Later in the second season, they have a fierce argument over which school Prince Charles should attend. Prince Philip thinks his son should go to the same boarding school he went to as a boy, while the Queen knows her son is too sensitive to thrive in such a harsh environment. However, a few years earlier the two had come to a compromise on who would decide where to educate the children. Since the Queen already has so much power in the relationship, she has allowed Philip to decide where the royal children go to school. When she attempted to renege on this contract while using her authority as a power play, Philip became completely enraged and negative reciprocity ensued. The couple traditionally used the competitive fighting style of communication, in which each of them tried to "control the interaction so as to [have] more power than their partner" (GAA, p. 291), which led to a even more intense discussion due to negative reciprocity. When “one person uses competitive or indirect fighting, the other person is likely to follow suit” (GAA, p. 291). This is exactly what happened in this scenario. A distinctive trait of the relationship between the queen and the prince is contempt. Showing contempt toward your partner “is one of the most destructive forms of communication that can occur in a relationship” (GAA, p. 304) and “is often the byproduct of long-standing problems in a relationship” (GAA, p. 304 ). The royal couple feels they cannot solve their relationship problems and each perceives their partner as the.