THE CROWN tells the tale of the early years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. The show takes viewers behind the scenes of the royal family and the government, focusing primarily on how Elizabeth embracing her new role as sovereign affects her relationship not only with her family members, but also with influential government figures such as Winston Churchill.
Living a life in service to the crown is a hard one. Elizabeth finds herself surrounded by beautiful palaces, clothes, jewels and a relatively loving family, but her life as Elizabeth Regina is constantly at odds with her life as Elizabeth — wife, mother, daughter and sister. And her transformation is a fascinating one to watch.
THE CROWN is a triumph for Netflix, subtly showing viewers the way in which this vibrant young woman was forever changed the moment her father died and she became monarch. Since there is a large cast of characters surrounding Elizabeth, we’re going to introduce you to all of the main players in her life, including the pertient details of Her Majesty’s story. Watch the preview below and then click the arrows above to browse through our gallery of the important characters of THE CROWN.
THE CROWN premieres on Netflix on November 4.
Queen Elizabeth II. When we first meet Queen Elizabeth she’s just Princess Elizabeth. Having received permission to marry Philip, the pair settled into married life and she soon gave birth to Charles (the future Prince of Wales) and Anne. THE CROWN’s depiction of the early years of the couple’s marriage is normal and loving, but Elizabeth has a destiny hanging over her head. She is only 26 years old when her father dies and she becomes the Queen. As you watch THE CROWN it becomes clear that she is a woman who struggles to fulfill her duty as monarch and still be the same “Lilibet” that her family members knew and loved. She’s also learning how to wield her power, initially kowtowing to influential figures such as Winston Churchill and learning how to give up the relative privacy that she enjoyed throughout her life.
Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, but his family was exiled from his native country when he was still an infant. At 18 he joined the British Royal Navy. After WWII, Philip was granted permission by George VI to marry Elizabeth, but first he had to give up his Green and Danish royal titles and assume the surname “Mountbatten” from his maternal grandparents. The real Prince Charles may have described his father as cold for most of his life, but THE CROWN puts an emphasis on how loving Philip was towards his children in their early years. The moment that Elizabeth becomes Queen, however, cracks start appearing in the couple’s relationship. It’s difficult for Philip to walk behind his wife instead of beside her and to bow to her at her coronation. He executes a series of early maneuvers to try and assert his authority as “man of the house” by requesting that the family name be changed to the House of Mountbatten. But as he’s constantly stymied by tradition and royal protocol, Philip becomes increasingly more determined to be his own man.
Princess Margaret and Captain Peter Townsend. The fun-loving Margaret was very different from her more serious older sister, Queen Elizabeth. But it wasn’t until Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne that trouble really began to brew between the siblings. Prior to the death of King George, Margaret fell in love with Peter Townsend, the Equerry to her father. He was 16 years her senior and had two children from a previous marriage. After he divorces his wife after the King’s death he proposes to Margaret, who happily agrees to marry him. Unfortunately, the Royal Marriages Act forbids her from marrying without the Queen’s permission. As Peter was divorced, his second marriage would not be recognized by the Church of England and various government officials are vehemently against the union, which puts Elizabeth and Margaret at odds. The public, however, seem to be firmly on Margaret and Peter’s side, which make things even more difficult.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Churchill was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. His speeches and radio broadcasts during WWII helped inspire British resistance and he emerged from the war on the victorious Allies’ side. After the Conservative Party lost the 1945 election, he became Leader of the Opposition to the Labour Government, but when we meet him in THE CROWN he’s just been re-elected as Prime Minister. Foreign issues are a big deal during his second term, as he attempts to hang on to all of the moving pieces of the British Empire. The series also focuses on the strong-willed Prime Minister and his relationship with the new Queen. Churchill is able to use his own strong reputation and beliefs in tradition to browbeat the Queen into submission on various issues, including taking on her husband’s name. Although, there are times when the Queen isn’t afraid to take a stand against him.
Learn more about Churchill in the featurette below.
King George VI. George never expected to ascend to the throne. Born Albert Frederick Arthur George, he only became King after the abdication of his brother, King Edward (renamed the Duke of Windsor). As the father of Princess Elizabeth and Margaret, he helped guide Britain through WWII. Later, the stress of the war and his heavy smoking habit wreaked havoc on the King’s health, eventually leading to his death. THE CROWN focuses on his love for his family and the subtle way that he tried to prepare his eldest daughter for her future royal duties.
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Born Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother only ruled England alongside her husband King George VI for 16 years before his death. During WWII her seemingly indomitable spirit provided moral support to the British public. After the death of King George, Elizabeth is seen as a strong advisor to her daughter, the new Queen (although she now bows down to her own daughter). Elizabeth very much takes her mother’s advice into consideration, even if it goes against her more progressive instincts in those early years of her reign. In addition, the Queen Mother absolutely loathed the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (see the next slide). So when George passes away, she uses Edward’s return for the funeral as an opportunity to showcase her utter disdain for the man and his wife and help ensure that he can never return to England.
Edward, Duke of Windsor & Wallis, Duchess of Windsor. Edward was the King of England for less than a year before he abdicated his throne to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American socialite. Edward’s family loathed Wallis and when he gave up his sacred birthright to marry her he was essentially banished from England. The pair were then given the titles “Duke and Duchess of Windsor” and removed from the civil list, which meant their “allowance” was paid personally by Edward’s brother, the King. Upon the death of King George, the Duke travels back to Britain for the funeral and the former King’s wife — his sister-in-law — and mother both show outward signs of hostility towards the Duke and Wallis, blaming them for George’s ascension to the throne and his early death (they believed the stress of being King killed him). With his brother now deceased, both Edward and Wallis fear for a loss in their allowance, worried that they had lost their only ally in the royal family. This pair is delicious in their scorn of the royals, gleefully giving them snide nicknames.
THE CROWN tells the tale of the early years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. The show focuses primarily on taking viewers behind the scenes of the royal family and the government, focusing primarily on how Elizabeth embracing her new role as sovereign affects her relationship not only with her family members, but also with influential government figures such as Winston Churchill.