The Queen, Bush after 9.11 - same mistake, same reasons

[The Count]

I finally saw that amazing movie "The Queen". It deals with the political crisis the royals unleashed by their attempt to snub the death of Diana and how they were forced to pretend they gave a damn.
To me it replayed in my mind the week after 9.11 - where Bushco tried to make this into: "They were after me, you know?" and leave it at that.
Of course, in UK, the tabloids had screaming headlines about the heartless queen.
No such luck here - but at least there were plenty of reactions in the media about bush failing to step up to the plate.
There was no Blair nudging His Arrogance into responding here. I think what really did it were the unfavorable comparisons to Clinton after Oklahoma.

As for the reasons behind both stubborn behaviors - the royals and the would be emperor - they are indeed the same.
First of all - arrogance. "Who do they think they are?" to tell me what I should do
Second - personal resentment. The family squabbles in UK, the "NY Liberals - good riddance - they don't vote for me anyway" in the White House
Third: selfishness "I have the children to take care of" said the queen as if she had changed pampers all her life
"My first thought was to my family, "I had to get out of harm's way" blurted out fearless leader - and had those statements excised from any record later.
"It was a fabulous year, for Laura and I" would Bush add in December 2001

The other common thing in the two events was the outcome: the Queen/dictator walk among their people eventually - are hailed as saviors
In Bush's case they elevated his consent to finally react publicly to the heroics of all times and made 9.11 his crowning "achievement" of his rule (which ironically, is not all that far from the truth)

[Captain Hilts]

1. Liz is of the WWII generation and was trained not to show public emotion...

during the Blitz when the Buck House was hit by a bomb.

Diana was of the current generation that accepts/admires public emoting.

The comparison with the Bushes just doesn't work. It's interesting, recently more Brits watched "Coronation Street" than the special on Princess Di.

Historically it has been the crown that looked after the little guy in England. Certainly not the Parliament that was bought off by mercantilists. The day after the East End riots, Prince Charles was there talking to the residents. It's something they take seriously and, evidently, was the source of much of the tension between QEII and Margaret Thatcher.

[The Count]

2. Princess Di's death was comparable to 9.11 as national event that needed addressing

Sorry if I don't share your royalist admiration, but all that training didn't remove the fact that it was arrogance and petty resentment that motivated their stubborn mistakes. And refusal to cut a vacation short - where do I stop the analogy?
It works if you watch it all as political theater and balance of power - democracy vs self-entitled power rather than personalities soap opera.