British Monarchy Facts: How Accurate is Netflix’s The Crown?
Fact-checking Netflix's The Crown
Netflix’s The Crown has become a global obsession, especially after the passing of British monarchy’s longest-serving sovereign in 2022. With six seasons depicting the life of the royals from 1997 to 2005, it’s inevitable to ask - how much of that is true? And just how much is for TV drama?
Unofficial royal biographers like Sally Bedell Smith and Hugo Vickers expressed some concerns about the inaccurate portrayal of some key events during the series’ earlier seasons.
In this article, we break down what really happened and what was added for effect, so you can separate fact from fiction in one of Netflix’s most talked-about royal sagas.
Netflix Got Queen Elizabeth II’s Early Reign Mostly Right
The series starts with a young Elizabeth unexpectedly ascending the throne after the sudden death of her father, King George VI, in 1952. That part is historically accurate. She was just 25 when she became queen, and like the show suggests, she stepped into the role with reluctance but grace.
Her coronation on June 2 of the following year was the first ever televised royal coronation, with over 20 million people tuning in to watch history unfold.
Her relationship with former British prime minister Winston Churchill is portrayed as complex and respectful—and that's true to life. Churchill reportedly admired her composure, while Elizabeth learned much about leadership from him during her early years on the throne.
However, The Crown adds a layer of emotional vulnerability and private conversations that can’t be confirmed. For instance, the queen’s weekly meetings with the current prime minister are typically private and are not recorded or transcribed.
Netflix took the liberty to dramatize these moments to give viewers more insight into the queen’s feelings, but we can’t say for sure what was said behind palace doors.
Prince Philip’s Portrayal was Partly Fictionalized
Prince Philip’s role in The Crown is one of the most debated.
The show explores his discomfort with royal formality, his struggle to find his place beside a reigning queen, and his often tense demeanor. These themes are largely based on real-life accounts from royal insiders and biographers.
To be honest, you can’t really blame the guy. It was hard enough that he had to give up his naval career at the age of 31 to support his wife, but to completely submit to her as her subject? That’s an entirely different hard pill to swallow.
To top it all off, he wasn’t even allowed to give his surname to his children. Originally (and historically), the royal children were to take the house name of the sovereign. In this case, Queen Elizabeth’s royal family name is Windsor.
However, it was speculated that Prince Philip was annoyed that his children wouldn’t get to use his surname. So, Queen Elizabeth reportedly ‘gave in’ to her husband’s qualms and changed the house’s name to Mountbatten-Windsor.
Where the story begins to blur fact and fiction is in the depiction of his alleged affairs. Several episodes hint at infidelity during his overseas tours, but there’s no hard evidence to support these claims. The show leans into rumor and public speculation without clear confirmation.
A good example is Season 2’s episode on his tour of Australia and New Guinea. While it hints heavily at a royal scandal, historical records don’t back it up.
In reality, Philip was known to be blunt and sometimes abrasive, but also deeply loyal to Elizabeth. One could argue that the show focused too much on the Duke’s rough edges, while glossing over the decades of support and stability he brought to the monarchy.
>>> Read the rest of my article here: https://weblogwevlog.com/fact-checking-netflix-the-crown/
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Pat Zuniega
writing culture and blogging content for weblogwevlog.com
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