The Crown

                  I’m going to start off by saying that any comments I make in this post are based on the characters of this show, not the actual human beings.  I say this because this show is based off of things that happened to real people who are still alive today.  Any criticism I write about is about the character, and not directed at the person in real life.

                Princess Elizabeth (Claire Foy) is a newly wed with young children.  While her father’s health is not the best, everyone expects King George VI (Jared Harris) to rule for many more years.  That is why it comes as such a shock when he is found in his bed, having passed away in the night.

                Upon hearing the news, Elizabeth and her husband, Philip (Matt Smith), are rushed back to England from their African tour.  Amongst the grief she is experiencing over her father, Elizabeth must also deal with the fact she is now the Queen of England.

                Declared Queen Elizabeth II, Elizabeth is not exactly prepared for her new role.  Her father taught her some things, but not enough.  Her formal education was very small, leaving her without the knowledge to question things when they are presented to her.

                While some would see this lack of education as a lack of intelligence, they would be wrong.  Over and over Elizabeth uses her words to outdo people, shocking them in the process.  This happens not only with the politicians she must deal with, but her family as well.  Oddly enough, every time Elizabeth outwits someone, they forget she has the ability and are surprised when she does it again.

                Even though Elizabeth cannot make laws or policy, she must regularly meet with the Prime Minister.  Her first prime minister is Winston Churchill (John Lithgow).  So much older than Elizabeth, Churchill definitely has an older school of thought.  He is also very stubborn in his ways, which makes it very difficult for others to work with him.  Even more aggravating, somehow, just when those opposed to Churchill are about to get rid of him, he manages to get himself out of trouble.

                The next prime minister is Anthony Eden (Jeremy Northam).  Eden has severe health problems during his term, but he does his bet to carry on.  This does eventually cause problems, because after he creates a war without approval, Eden decides to go to Jamaica to care for his health.  His lies are discovered, and they do not go over well with Elizabeth.  While she and Eden always got along, she does not take being lied to well.  Neither do the other politicians.  It is onto the next prime minister.

                The third prime minister in under ten years of Elizabeth’s rule also manages got himself into trouble before too long.  Harold Macmillan (Anton Lesser) decides to back a man who is actually guilty of what he has been accused of.  It is then found that Macmillan has a benign tumor, pushing forward his desire to retire.

                Macmillan’s resignation is very irritating to Elizabeth.  He is her third prime minister to leave his position in a comparatively short amount of time.  Elizabeth then finds herself in hot water when she agrees with Macmillan’s suggestion as to who should replace him.  In so many ways Elizabeth can never win.

                Elizabeth can’t win with her husband either.  I have only watched the first two seasons and already there is enough conflict between Elizabeth and Philip to last a lifetime.  Philip does not take Elizabeth’s role as queen very well at all.  The new rules and regulations they must follow once she takes the throne drive him crazy.  Everything they are required to do is so limiting.

                Yet, instead of seeing that everything is even more limiting for Elizabeth than it is for himself, Philip acts out.  He runs around with his friend and secretary, Michael Parker (Daniel Ings), going pretty much anywhere they please.  Philip also goes against the government and learns to fly.  All while complaining about everything every step of the way.

                It is when Philip is away for the Olympic Games in Australia that everything breaks.  Michael’s antics on the trip are revealed, and Elizabeth must get to Philip before he is marked as having done them too.  It is at this point that Elizabeth and Philip have an honest talk about their marriage.  It is a conversation Philip will hold against Elizabeth later.

                To make Philip feel better about his role in the monarchy, Elizabeth has him declared a prince.  It is a solution that does not last for long, as Philip goes back to his old ways pretty quickly.  As a result, Philip finds himself in an even bigger scandal than he had ever been in before.

                Cleaning up this mess, and all the messes, behind the scenes are the royal secretaries.  Tommy Lascelles (Pip Torrens) is the private secretary held over from George VI’s time.  Because of this, he serves as Elizabeth’s first secretary, whether she wants him to or not.

                Tommy is the one who truly runs the monarchy, even after he retires.  Nothing gets past Tommy.  With the aid of Elizabeth’s mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (Victoria Hamilton), Tommy decides what to tell Elizabeth about what is going on around her, and what to keep from her.  These decisions of keeping Elizabeth in the dark are what prevent Elizabeth’s sister, Princess Margaret (Vanessa Kirby) from marrying the man she loves, creating a possibly unrepairable rift between the two sisters.

                That’s the quick summary of what has all happened in the first two seasons of The Crown.  With so much happening all the time, I haven’t even gotten into Elizabeth’s uncle David (Alex Jennings) and Wallis Simpson (Lia Williams).  That is a full storyline all on its own.

                What I find so interesting about this show is the look at all the inner workings of living within a monarchy.  I’m sure literary license has been taken for some aspects, but it is still fascinating to see.

                With so many of the storylines having happened behind what would be considered closed doors, I have to wonder how much of this show is literary license and how much is fact.  As I said before, the characters in this show do exist, and the events did happen.  What I’m curious about is how many details are accurate.  Some may be very accurate, while others may not.  I’m sure we will never know the full details of what really happened during these events, but it sure has been interesting to watch what they could have been.