If the crown fits
The Crown, a lavish 10-part drama, will explore early tensions in the marriage of the young Queen
A DRAMA series about the Queen will reveal the Duke of Edinburgh’s frustrations at having to give up his Royal Navy career to become the monarch’s husband.
The Crown, a £100 million production that follows the reign of Elizabeth II, will for the first time explore Prince Philip’s struggle with sacrificing his military aspirations for the love for his wife.
Portrayed as a doting husband, viewers will watch him and his wife come to terms with duties they were not expecting at such a young age.
Peter Morgan, the series’ creator, says it shows the Duke becoming resentful of his wife’s position and his struggles to cope as he is forced to relinquish his own aspirations.
“I feel like I’ve begun to see the effects of the Crown, especially on her relationship with Philip and this build- ing resentment he has toward her power,” he said.
“He was forced to give up his career and become, as it were, her consort. And that led to all sorts of tensions, both within himself and within the marriage.”
The drama, directed by Stephen Daldry, is expected to be a critical hit.
The series starts with the couple marrying in 1947 and Elizabeth’s ascendancy to the throne following the sudden death of her father George VI at the age of 56.
Mr Morgan adds: “Now, Philip, I think, had made the mental calculation that he would enjoy 20 years of married life before this dreadful Crown business would happen.
“As an ambitious, energetic, very much an alpha personality type, I think he was quite reasonably expecting to have a long, successful career and reach the upper echelon of the Royal Navy. But then King George became sick and died at age 56. This thing happens, bang, sooner than anyone would have expected.”
The Duke of Edinburgh is played by Doctor Who star Matt Smith and the Queen by Claire Foy.
Morgan claims that the Royal family are “very, very aware” of the series.
The 10-part drama is due to be released on Netflix at 8am on Nov 4 and viewers will be able to watch the full series back to back. It is believed to be Netflix’s most expensive television series yet, with a large part of the budget being spent on costumes.
Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the drama.
This year’s autumn television highlights will be led by streaming services, with Amazon Prime showing The Grand Tour, featuring the former Top Gear team, including Jeremy Clarkson, which will be released on Nov 18.