Prince Philip vs ‘The Crown’
Britain royal stood loyally behind Queen Elizabeth II, as his character does on the show
In The Crown, a dishy naval officer captures the heart of a future queen. But he chafes at playing royal second fiddle and crosses the boundaries of decorum and, maybe, fidelity. He eventually finds his way as a trusted partner and family patriarch.
How does the Netflix drama’s portrayal of Prince Philip, who died at age 99 on Friday, compare with the man himself and the life he lived with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II? Prince Philip dwelled in his wife’s shadow, and the same goes for Philip in The Crown, as the title makes plain. But some episodes take a fuller measure of the man, or at least the character (played in succession by Matt Smith and Tobias Menzies, with Jonathan Pryce in the wings).
Peter Morgan, creator of the series that’s in a lull before its fifth and penultimate season arrives in 2022, has said The Crown is the product of historical research and imagination, and includes scenes not to be taken as fact.
Barring a tell-all from the parties involved, for instance, we don’t know if Philip was as rigid in his approach to parenting son Charles as he was sensitive with daughter Anne, as The Crown has it. Or what to make of the drama’s dainty hints of marital infidelity by Philip.
The series thus far has brought Philip to middle age, covering only half of the real royal’s nearly 100 years.
But there are aspects of the Greekborn prince’s life that warrant comparison to the fictional version, whom The Crown depicts in a mostly flattering light: A restless spirit, one bound to the end by duty and devotion to the queen.
DOMESTIC STRIFE
‘The Crown’: Reluctant to surrender traditional male privilege, Philip wants their children to carry his last name (Mountbatten), not hers (Windsor). The answer is no. When the death of Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, brings her to the throne, Philip leaves military service for the role of consort. Quarrels with Elizabeth follow, including over his reluctance to kneel to her during her coronation.
They find a balance, with Philip a worthy half of an affectionate marriage.
In reality: When Philip lost his bid to use Mountbatten as the family name, according to Gyles Brandreth’s ‘Philip and Elizabeth: Portrait of a Royal Marriage’, he complained, “I am nothing but a bloody amoeba,” a man barred from giving his children his name.
Eight years later, it was decided the couple’s descendants would use a hyphenated surname.
Under protest or not, Philip knelt before the newly crowned queen in 1952 and pledged to become her “liegeman of life and limb, and of earthly worship”.
MAN OF ACTION
‘The Crown’: In 1969, Philip is immersed in TV coverage of the first moon landing and faults his life in comparison. After prosaic royal engagements at dental and textile facilities, the trained flyer has the opportunity to take the controls of a private jet.
He pushes the plane toward the edge of space and, as the pilot protests that the trembling aircraft is at its limit, Philip responds: “Perhaps. But look, we’ve also lived. Just for a minute.”
Meeting with the US astronauts when they visit England as part of a victory lap, Philip tells them his position and marriage kept him from “the things I would’ve liked to, as a man, as an adventurer.”
In reality: During the Second World War, Philip saw action while serving on battleships and destroyers, was decorated and, at age 21, achieved the rank of first lieutenant in the Royal Navy.
While he carried out a full schedule of royal duties and headed hundreds of charities, he learnt to fly in the 1950s and was an avid polo player and yachtsman, as well as painter and art collector.
Peter Morgan, creator of the ‘The Crown’, has said the show is the product of historical research and imagination.
ON TEAM DIANA
‘The Crown’: When Diana Spencer is introduced at a family gathering at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, she and Philip bond over a day of stag hunting and he supports her marriage to Charles.
The relationship turns bitter, and Diana tells Philip she’s considering splitting with Charles and the royal family she finds uncaring. Philip cautions her against the step and faults her perspective: Everyone is an outsider apart from the queen, the “one person, the only person, who matters,” he says.
In reality: In letters between Diana and Philip, Philip is supportive of Diana and critical of his son’s extramarital affair with now-wife Camilla. But after Diana’s candid TV interview and a revealing biography, Philip’s tone allegedly turned sterner and he wrote that she must “fit in” or exit the family.