The ingenue who plays Henry's mistress/love interest -- I think she was a princess/queen of France (for political dealings) -- but at one time does she call Eleanor "mother"?? An added twist to be sure, but I can't recall. I never saw the original, but loved this one.
Alais, the mistress was the sister of Philip. Eleanor was the first wife of their father, the now dead king of France, but that marriage was annulled. Plus Alais was supposed to be the mistress/potential wife of one of the sons not of Henry. She would eventually go to the successor.
shareAlso when Alais first came to live in Henry II's court she was very young and was subsequently raised by Eleanor.
"I know I am winning and I know I'll win, but what the next move is...?" ~A Lion in Winter
^ Exactly, she came to the court when she was seven. When they receive Philip, Eleanor tells Henry, "I don't much like our children", then she turns to Alais and says "only you, the child I raised but didn't bear" or something to that effect.
shareAlais is not Eleanor's Daughter, she is the sister of Philip (King of France), but Alais camed into the kingdom when she was 7 years old, so Eleanor is kind of a "mother" to her.
shareAlais was Philip's sister. She had been betrothed to Richard since she was seven years old. As was the custom she had been sent to Henry's court once the treaty was finalized. So in effect Eleanor was her foster mother.
By the way, Philip's half sister Margaret had been married to Young Henry.
Alais never really calls Eleanor "Mother", but rather "Maman" in a "pet-name" sort of way, when they are both clearly distressed and letting their defenses down. It's an interesting key to the complexity of their relationship.
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