Hoping to get the inside story
Inside the Crown: Secrets of the Royals
STV, 9pm
QUEEN Elizabeth II has been on the throne for 67 years, making her the longest-reigning monarch in British history. She came to the throne at the dawn of the television age – many people bought or rented their first TVS to watch her coronation in 1953. More recently, she’s been indirectly reaching a new generation of TV watchers, thanks to the success of the Netflix drama The Crown. So far, Peter Morgan’s acclaimed drama has followed the Queen (played first by Claire Foy and then Olivia Colman, who won a Golden Globe for her performance earlier this month), from her marriage to Prince Philip in 1947 to her silver jubilee 30 years later.
And it’s also left many fans even more intrigued by the woman behind the Crown, and the way the royals have adapted to the major social changes and political events of the last seven decades. Just look at the speculation over how she might have reacted to Prince Harry and Meghan’s decision to step back as senior royals.
But while it’s undoubtedly fascinating, as a drama, The Crown does get to take some liberties with the historical facts. So, for a more accurate look at the Queen’s reign, ITV is bringing us the major new four-part series Inside the Crown: Secrets of the Royals.
It features insights from historians, biographers, royal insiders, the wider family and eyewitnesses, while also drawing on recently unearthed documents and rarely seen footage to explore key moments in the life of the monarch and her family.
Rather than taking a chronological approach, each episode is based around a theme. Forthcoming editions will focus on Front Page News, Trials and Tribulations and The Top Job, but it begins with the very timely subject of Love and Duty.
The marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle captivated the world and gave us a picture of a very modern royal couple, but once the big day was over, the pressures of living in the media spotlight began to kick in.
As they look for their own way to balance their private lives with their public roles, this programme looks back at other royal relationships, and the long shadow cast by Edward VIII’S decision to abdicate so he could wed the woman he loved, American divorcee Wallis Simpson.
The event changed the course of his niece’s life and when the then-princess Elizabeth wed the dashing naval officer Philip, she knew the pressure was on them to restore the family’s image. The programme points out that Elizabeth has managed to live up to that demand, but when it comes to the Windsors, her ability to balance love and duty seems to be the exception rather than the rule.
As fans of The Crown are well aware, the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret faced her own romantic dilemmas, especially when it came to her relationship with the divorced Peter Townsend.
Meanwhile, three of the Queen’s four children have divorced, with Prince Charles’ marriage to Diana showing what can go wrong when duty comes before love.