- Gertrude of Flanders
Blackadder character
name = Gertrude "The Witch Queen" of Flanders
nationality = Flemish
occupation = Queen Regnant of Flanders; Queen Consort of England, witch
first appearance = "The Foretelling "
last appearance = "The Black Seal "
episode count = 6
portrayer =Elspet Gray Gertrude of Flanders was a
fictional character in the popularBBC sitcom "Blackadder " (series 1). She was played byElspet Gray .In the series, she is the Queen of
Flanders in her own right and the wife ofKing Richard IV of England and mother of Princes Harry and Edmund.In attitude, Gertrude mainly seems to be rather distant and absent-minded. For whatever reason, she once had an affair with a Scottish
laird , which may have resulted in Edmund's birth. Even Gertrude doesn't seem entirely sure who his father was. She appears mainly to give Edmund advice and embarrass him. In the episode "Witchsmeller Pursuivant", it is revealed that she is in fact a kind-hearted witch and uses her secret powers ofwitchcraft to save Edmund from being burned at the stake. When Edmund pleaded with her to use whatever power she had to save him, she claimed that she had not had any power for years but her magic is resurfaced in order to save Edmund. When her 11-year-old daughter-in-law Leia is about to tell the King that Edmund is going to die, Gertrude silences her and assures her husband that she has "sorted it all out". She then breaks the fourth wall by winking at the audience and a sparkle of stars fly from her eyes.She dies in the final episode, along with the rest of the royal family, by accidentally drinking poisoned wine.
External links
* [http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0051568/ The Queen] at the
Internet Movie Database
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