Netflix’s historical drama, The Crown is back for season 5 and unlike other streaming service shows that air weekly episodes, the platform has decided that fans deserve to binge the intriguing drama all at once. While season 5's Elizabeth Debecki has been praised for bringing "formidable nuance and spark" to the role of Diana (via Mashable), there have been discussions about the show's accuracy once again.
In the past, the creators of the show have openly admitted that some events have been fictionalized for dramatization purposes (via Variety), but this hasn’t prevented backlash from historians and some of the figures that are depicted, since they believe that these changes could affect how the public perceives them or bends the truth.
Prince Philip Contemplates Not Kneeling In Front Of The Queen
Early in the show, the Duke of Edinburgh is depicted as a somewhat chauvinistic person who isn’t too keen on being subordinate to his wife. As such, he asks not to kneel in front of his wife during her coronation, but the request is denied. However, according to his official autobiography, the Prince never considered breaking such an important tradition (via Sky).
By altering events this way, the show tries to stay true to the chauvinistic era in which the coronation takes place. It does make for an interesting TV moment, but it turns out Philip was never really a subscriber of toxic masculinity.
Princess Margaret Expresses Her Desire To Be Queen
Princess Margaret clashes with her sister Elizabeth several times and even expresses her desire to become Queen. However, while the relationship between the sisters was indeed rocky, there is no record of Margaret verbally declaring such intentions, (via Time).
The line of succession in the Royal family has always been clear so it’s unlikely that Margaret would wish for what wasn’t possible. Nonetheless, such a remark helps in magnifying the disdain and spicing up the rivalry between the two sisters.
The Queen Has A Lengthy Conversation With Intruder Michael Fagan
When the intruder, Michael Fagan, manages to sneak into Queen Elizabeth’s bedroom at Buckingham Palace, she remains calm and goes on to have a lengthy conversation with him. It’s all sensationalism, according to a report by Scotland Yard, which states that the Queen quickly called for help (via New York Times).
The scene is unrealistic because, like any other person, the Queen would have been quick to try and get herself out of danger rather than risk her life by chatting with a stranger. However, the scene helps depict her as a courageous ruler whose first instinct isn’t to cower. Additionally, she comes off as compassionate by listening to Fagan rather than just trying to get him arrested.
A Royal Affair
In what is a rather interesting scenario in the Netflix series, Princess Anne and Andrew Parker Bowles have an affair at the same time that Charles has an affair with Parker’s girlfriend, Camilla. According to biographer Sally Bedel Smith, Camilla met Charles long after the Anne-Parker affair (via Vanity Fair).
Romance is a big part of the plot of the crown and creating a situation where everyone is cheating at the same time helps bring the drama that makes some of the best soap operas unmissable. Through the two couples, viewers are taken through the complexities of love, which become even uglier at the highest levels.
Margaret Thatcher Asks The Queen To Dissolve Parliament
Under pressure to resign, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher begs Queen Elizabeth to dissolve parliament, but she declines. Well, Dominic Sandbrook notes that Thatcher never made such a request. She gladly agreed to resign after realizing the numbers weren’t in her favor (via Express).
As one of the smartest characters in The Crown, it’s not surprising for Thatcher to explore all options that might keep her in power. After all, she is in the middle of solving a very big problem, the Gulf Crisis, and she isn’t one to leave work unfinished. Having the Queen deny Thatcher’s request is also the perfect way to accelerate the Prime Minister’s downfall since the two weren’t always the best of friends.
Churchill’s Secretary Gets Struck By A Bus
During the Great Smog, Churchill’s secretary, Venetia, gets struck by a bus. It’s these events that cause some legislators to take the smog seriously. But while the fog did happen, Venetia never existed. All buses had also been grounded after the smog started (via Radio Times).
Venetia’s death is undoubtedly one of the saddest things to happen in The Crown, especially because it happens too early in the series when the character is just starting to grow on viewers. But fans can understand the necessity of such a scene as it proves that legislators don’t always act until forced to do so by extreme circumstances.
Princess Margaret Intervenes For Her Cousins
Margaret discovers that she has two cousins who were institutionalized at a young age and have been kept a secret all along by the Royal family. She tries to intervene for them, but this apparently never happened (via The Guardian).
From time to time, 'low-key villains' need a redeeming moment and that’s what the show tries to give Margaret by making her care about her cousins. For the most part, she is depicted as a hedonistic person who only cares about herself but the new storyline grants her some form of humanity. Through the arc, the series is also able to address the stigma surrounding mental health.
Prince Philip’s Meeting With Apollo II Astronauts
After requesting a meeting with the Apollo II astronauts, Philip asks them some hard questions, but their responses leave him unsatisfied. Well, the Queen really did receive the astronauts at Buckingham Palace in October 1969, but there is no evidence of Philip ever having a conversation with them (via NBC).
Given Philip’s fascination with adventurism, science, technology, and technology, it makes sense for the show to depict him as the biggest fan of Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin. The problem is depicting three men who had just gone out of outer space as incompetent simply because they couldn’t match up to the Prince’s expectations.
Elizabeth And Philip Get Attacked By Elephants
In The Crown, Elizabeth and Philip get attacked by a bull elephant while on a trip to Kenya. Luckily, Philip’s quick response saves their lives. In real-life, the trip went smoothly (via People).
One of the saddest things about Philip in The Crown is his inability properly connect with Elizabeth at first. Playing hero is, therefore, a way for him to endear himself to her. Moreover, Philip is a generally courageous character and such a trait wouldn’t be evident if it weren’t for moments like these.
The Queen Gives A Speech At The Jaguar Factory
The Queen’s speech at the Jaguar factory is what inspires Lord Altrincham to write an article about how much he hated her words. In real life, there was no Jaguar factory speech and Lord Altrincham expressed his disapproval of the Queen’s speeches in general. (via New York Times).
Lord Altrincham isn’t the biggest fan of the Queen, describing her as out of touch with the citizen and sounding like “a priggish schoolgirl” in her speech. But even though the show makes it seem like the hatred is fresh and triggered by the Jaguar factory speech, records show that Altrincham’s criticism stretches all the way back to the Queen’s coronation.
Source:gamerant.com