The latest series of The Crown pulls on many real-life events and though it’s often stated by the creative team that this should be viewed as a dramatisation, it definitely lines up a lot with what really happened. I’m gonna be dropping in and out of the storyline and stating the true events alongside the general plot but hopefully, this helps to paint the true picture of what happened in the season and beyond it.
The IRA
Episode 1 begins all the way back in 1979 and things become complicated when Lord Mountbatten is killed in an attack carried out by the IRA. This real-life organisation first appeared in the late 60s and it attempted to end the British Rule over Northern Ireland.
Ireland had very much been ransacked by the troubles and my grandfather who was Irish actually came to England due to the conflicts and attacks that were rife throughout the country. They claimed responsibility for this and very much rebelled against the empire which had led to famine, poverty and destabilisation.
The fallout of this attack alongside the themes of power is very much the backdrop of Season 4 and we watch as the family question their role in the public eye.
Clearly, the IRA are seeking change and they aren’t the only ones either.
Thatcher
Season Four also sees the appointment of the first female prime minister who I’m sure you’re well aware was Margaret Thatcher. Nicknamed The Iron Lady, Thatcher carried this reputation due to her almost unfeeling and unapologetic actions.
In many ways, Thatcher and The Queen mirror one another and they faced the same difficulties when first gaining power. Men tried to force them down certain paths but they stood strong in front of them and refused to be overpowered.
Gillian Anderson plays her expertly throughout the season and you almost forget that she’s a woman who is despised by a vast majority of people…not my proudest wan…want of a person in power…
Being from the North East me and my family very much have a certain view of Thatcher and though I’m still not a fan of her I think the season does an incredible job of portraying the ins and outs of her time in power.
Thatcher was very much responsible for several colliery closures and this led to the miner’s strike of 1984. Coal was slowly becoming more and more unprofitable and the shutdown of this industry led to a lot of poverty and hardships for those affected by it.
Clearly, she is a complicated character and there’s almost the sense of the patriarchy being examined with us questioning how certain aspects of society have to be remade for the new world and if it’s worth the cost.
I know that many still like her and if you disagree with my opinion or not, I’m sure we can both agree that she’s still viewed as a very divisive character.
In episode 4, Thatcher at one point also brings up the fact that her son Mark has been captured in Algeria and the Queen is quite shocked to see her state that he is her favourite child even though she has twins.
This makes her start to question who her favourite child is and speaking of them, the season puts Anne and Charle’s respective relationships in the spotlight.
The People’s Princess
Anne’s marriage is very much falling apart and though Charle’s seems to be blossoming, as we know from the real-world events behind his time with Diana, it was extremely tragic.
Lady Di has recently reappeared in the spotlight due to a documentary on ITV which discusses her infamous interview with Martin Bashir.
The interview was released on the 14th of November which just so happened to be Charles’ birthday. Netflix shows are typically released on a Friday and though this is just a theory I think that the season was dropped on the 15th to not ruin it with its release the day of or before.
The interview itself was highly controversial and this blew Charles’ affair with Camilla Parker Bowles wide open. Diana described Camilla as the third person in their relationship and even today Camilla is viewed in a certain way by the public.
The meeting also discussed her struggles with bulimia and painted her as someone who was dealing with problems that regular people would. Diana very much brought a change in the royal family and before her arrival, they very much kept themselves to themselves. However, where she differed is that she would visit people like HIV patients, those affected by landmines and the poor and vulnerable.
In regards to those with AIDs, Diana broke new ground by shaking hands without gloves and hugging those with the disease. At the time, society very much viewed those with it almost as lepers and her doing this helped to break the stigma.
This almost saint-like persona caused many to adore her and even decades after her death she’s still very much viewed as the people’s princess. We have heard several rumours from those in the palace that they were jealous of how Diana was perceived by the public and her actions very much changed the way that the monarchy now acts.
They are far more outgoing and attend several public events often due to the influence that she had and it’s hard not to become attached to her throughout the episodes.
She was an Uptown girl in a way….living in an uptown world now I think about it.
Charles & Diana’s Marriage
Their marriage was of course doomed from the start and we see as Diana discovers a drawing made by Charles inscribed with the letters F & G which stands for Freddy and Glady’s.
In real life, this reportedly happened slightly differently and the bracelet was inscribed with G and F which apparently stood for Girl Friday. It also wasn’t a drawing that Diana found, instead, it was the bracelet that Di found, along with several expensive pieces that he’d ordered for several women that he’d been close with over the years.
It’s said that the night before their wedding Charles told her he didn’t love her and even when the pair were asked if they were in love, Charles said, whatever that means.
Sadly, due to the affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, Diana was lied to by everyone around her for ten years. This wasn’t just a one-off, throughout the day, every single person in the palace covered for Charles and lied to her face which must have felt like a massive betrayal upon the discovery of it.
Charles of course wanted to marry Camilla right from the start but when he joined the Royal Navy in 1973, their relationship ended. Charles very much still loved her, however, she was viewed as unsuitable by the palace and not future Queen material because of her lifestyle.
Charles had to choose between his heart and his duty and he initially settled on the latter before drifting to the former.
Though Lord Mountbatten too tried to steer him in a certain direction, he finds solace in Camilla and the two rekindled their relationship.
Time to Separate
Diana too struggled with motherhood and the family’s trip to Australia put further difficulties on them. The season ends with several losses including a hint toward the separation of the pair. Diana really tries her best to win Charles around but it becomes ever more difficult for him to put his ego to the side and accept that her being popular shines him in a good light rather than a negative one.
After a ski accident caused by an avalanche, Charles realises that life is too short and that he can’t continue to live in this loveless relationship simply to keep up appearances. Charles decides to separate from Diana and though at the time, it was stated that when he became King that Diana would still be the country’s Queen, as we know from real life, that simply didn’t happen.
You kinda feel bad for everyone in the situation, Charles has really been forced down this route with Diana to make the marriage work for the monarchy. This is something similar that the Queen likely experienced and there’s an amazing moment in episode 9 where we see the future for the couple should they continue on this path.
Diana wants to make things work and she even temporarily breaks things off with her lover James Hewitt who…he’s Harry’s dad isn’t he….sorry just had to drop that conspiracy theory in here.
However, Charles still loves Camilla and simply can’t continue. Thus things fall apart even further.
Public’s Love for Diana
Now whilst we don’t know this for definite, it is said that the royals tried to besmirch Diana’s reputation and that they leaked certain things to the press such as her extramarital activities.
Diana went to New York onboard a Concord and Charles came under the belief that things would go badly for her but as we see it’s quite the opposite and in many ways, she’s more loved than she was in Australia.
Diana is simply far too popular with the public and no matter what, Camilla will never be able to top this.
Whatever Charles does he will be hated and Camilla doesn’t want to be labelled as the mistress who came between their marriage. This makes Charles hate their marriage even more and he becomes determined to end things once and for all.
Goodbye Thatcher
It isn’t the only thing that comes to a close either and the finale showcases the end of Margaret Thatcher’s rule as prime minister.
Thatcher was the longest serving PM since 1827, however, due to her poll-tax policies and opposition to Europe, dissent in her party started to arise. Thatcher faced those around her slowly losing faith in her leadership and she failed to gain a majority in the Conservative’s annual leadership vote.
Thatcher very much wanted to hold onto her power and she even goes to The Queen in the hopes that she will intervene and dissolve the parliament. The Queen refuses too as she realises that everyone is against her and that it’s not the will of the people to keep her around.
We watch Thatcher resigns and she leaves Downing Street for the last time. Even though they’ve had their differences, the Queen very much appreciates all that she’s done as well as the criticism she has constantly faced.
Thatcher was awarded the Order Of Merit which currently is only held by Twenty Four people. Though Thatcher did not step away fully from Politics until she retired in 1992, her tearful exit is one of the most memorable moments in the show.
Dennis passed away in 2003 due to Pancreatic cancer and Thatcher’s health declined around the time.
She gained dementia and died in 2013 at the age of 87. Several people including the Queen attended her funeral and I doubt that we will see her in the upcoming seasons all that much.
Charles & Diana Split
Anyway, as for Diana, she concludes in the end that no matter what efforts she puts in, their relationship is truly doomed. When the family gather at Christmas, Diana tries to talk to the Queen but all that we’ve seen throughout the season makes her rebuff her.
Charles too tries to take further action to separate but The Queen stands strong and shuts down the idea stating that they’re spoilt and making spectacles of themselves.
She tells him they cannot get divorced but juxtaposing this Diana seems to want to push for one even more. Immortal Prince Phillip goes to her and she says that if Charles doesn’t come around then she will have to push through as her happiness is more important than the image she has been forced to portray. She deserves happiness but Phillip threatens her that if she takes any action to end things officially that it won’t end well for her.
Outsiders
The pair are both outsiders but Phillip has accepted his place whereas Diana refuses to. He says that everyone in the family other than The Queen is an outsider in some ways and that should Diana step away from The Queen, this would cause problems and issues for her with great ramifications.
The season ends by hammering home that Diana is very much apart from the family and that they likely will never truly be a union again. This is symbolised by the closing shots of her standing apart from them whilst the family all take a photo together without her in it.
However, she is still part of this room, this thing that she is stuck on the outside of and the subtext of this moment shows that she is still stuck in this situation with them. They all huddle around the Queen, who as Phillips says is pretty much the oxygen for them but the fact that Di is away meant that she will no longer be under this.
There’s a moment where she walks down the stairs and some horns behind her appear as devil ones and this is almost how she was viewed by the family. Diana could do no wrong in the public eye and many could not understand why but as we’ve discussed there are several reasons.
Season 5 Predictions
Season five will obviously focus on the complete collapse of the pair and it’s arguably one of the toughest times in Royal history. As we know the pair would come separate and in 1996 they were divorced. Unfortunately, Diana did not live much longer and in 1997 she died in a car crash in Paris.
Season five will likely focus on the build-up to this as well as the aftermath in which the public mourned her loss. The royals themselves had to deal with the fact that the public perception of them changed drastically over this time and I can imagine that the next entry, like this one, will take place over a great number of years that show how difficult things were for them due to her death.
We also have Prince William and Harry to contend with and with the controversy surrounding Meghan, one can assume that we may get a tease of it before potentially exploring it fully in Season 6.
Either way, I loved this season and think that it dramatised the events really really well.
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