The royal family portrayed by a brand-new cast navigates several scandals in the 1990s.
The fact that showrunners chose to have a bunion pad on the Queen’s toe was everything.
Royalty: they are just like us!
Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana and Dominic West as Prince Charles in season 5 of ‘The Crown’.Netflix
But the point is not to feature the Queen’s strong heart rate or slight weight gain.
The underlying issue is that Elizabeth is getting old.
Especially when a poll conducted by theSunday Timesclaims she is irrelevant and out of touch.
Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce on ‘The Crown’.Netflix
Charles is modern, young, and energetic.
More than half of Britain thinks he should be on the throne.
Do you know who else thinks Charles should be king right now?
Elizabeth Debicki.Keith Bernstein/Netflix
Of course, that doesn’t mean they can’t fake it in front of the paparazzi.
They put on a remarkable show with big smiles and enthusiastic waves for all the photographers.
TheBritanniais old and worn down.
Khalid Abdalla, Salim Dau.Keith Bernstein/Netflix
She’s antiquated and stubborn.
It’s time to replace the royal yacht.
This metaphor provides a through line throughout the entire episode.
Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce.Keith Bernstein/Netflix
And her staff goes above and beyond to keep thatSunday Timesarticle from gracing her presence.
We then see him with Prime Minister John Major.
After all, the man was a free thinker.
Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker-Bowles and Dominic West as Prince Charles on ‘The Crown’.Netflix
But when his time came, Edward proved doubters wrong.
Charles believes it was a waste that Edward’s voice wasn’t incorporated earlier.
The crown is in excellent hands.
Jonathan Pryce.Netflix
In her opinion, the poll claims she’s constant, stable, and dutiful.
What more could you want in your Queen?
And to be clear, nothing is going to pasture, including her belovedBritannia.
Elizabeth Debicki, Will Powell, Senan West, Dominic West.Netflix
Cut to the Ghillie Ball, or the “gamekeepers ball” in Scotland.
In contrast, the younger generations are thankless and entitled.
John can’t help but feel that the country’s stability is about to erupt on his watch.
Elizabeth Debicki in ‘The Crown’.Netflix
Spoiler alert: It does.
Scratch that from the record.
Prince Philip gave up thesportinglove of his life.
Olivia Williams.Netflix
Yes, that sounds much better.
And in the process, we see him adopt an entourage with this newfound hobby.
One unlikely friend is his godson Norton’s wife, Penny Knatchbull (Natascha McElhone).
Lydia Leonard, Bertie Carvel.Keith Bernstein/Netflix
He encourages her to find an escape to help with her grief.
Eager to impress the Prince, Penny unveils a disheveled carriage in the barn.
Philip welcomes her into the fold and offers to teach her how to carriage drive.
You bet, but sometimes biographical facts are random, and we must go with it.
Philip is an adrenaline junkie, and if carriage riding fills his heart with joy, so be it.
Speaking of joy, Diana has very little in her life.
Rumor has it that someone is writing a book about her life, which will be a hatchet job.
Morton is interested in telling Diana’s real story.
And the best part is that no one has to know she was involved.
James is the middleman.
Morton will provide questions to James to hand over to Diana.
Diana will speak into a tape recorder and hand the tapes back to James to give to Morton.
And boy, does she spill the beans.
Diana discusses Camilla and the Queen’s refusal to acknowledge the problem.
She speaks of her insecurities and how the crown can take custody of her children as legal heirs.
Diana even confesses hereating disorder and previous suicide attempts.
The tapes go on to reveal that Camilla was the subject of many nightmares.
Charles was never committed to their marriage.
Diana simply couldn’t compete with his one true love.
The broken woman put every emotion, frustration, and question into hours of recordings.
Is it a coincidence that Prince Philip comes calling soon after?
At first, Philip is cordial, speaking of the importance of privacy and confidentiality.
But the news of this book has him thinking differently.
She’s been in the royal family for more than a decade now and knows how things work.
They are not a family.
They are a system.
The damage can be more extensive than she knows.
Philip encourages Diana to be creative and do whatever she needs to do to be happy.
The one rule Diana must abide by is to remain loyal to the family and her husband in public.
Diana questions if this means that she is to be silent.
The answer is yes.
Do not rock the boat.
Take everything to the grave.
And as a result, the royal family spirals into genuine crisis.
Dodi obliges and later laments to his father that it was a mistake.
Hearing royal terminology, Mohamed changes his mind and requests an audience with Sydney.
He hires Sydney as his own personal valet to help him be a British gentleman.
Sydney agrees and hands Mohamed a stack of books to read.
Then he tosses some money to Dodi so he can finance a small motion picture calledChariots of Fire.
You may have heard of the Oscar-winning film.
Mohamed did a great thing by saving the house and deserved more respect from the Queen.
At the very least, she should have sent a thank you note.
A confused Mohamed looks at Sydney and replies that he’s just made the queen very happy.
Why should he be upset?
Sweet Sydney nods, and it’s clear that these two have a special friendship.
It’s even more evident when Mohamed nurses Sydney and stays by his side until he passes away.
We see Mohamed at Sydney’s grave, mourning the loss of a dear confidant.
Who might that lucky royal be?
None other than Diana, who charms Mohamed immediately, affectionally calling him by his pet name Mou Mou.
When she briefly meets Mou Mou’s son Dodi, there’s a spark that is quickly extinguished.
That particular meaning has a name, and it’s Peter Townsend (Timothy Dalton).
Remember, he’s Margaret’s soulmate and the one Elizabeth forbade her from marrying.
Elizabeth is hesitant to share her feelings that it’s probably best for Margaret not to attend this reception.
Still, she has bigger problems at the moment.
To quote Andrew, “It’s embarrassing, Mummy!”
Andrew wants to talk about the d-word.
No, Mummy, the word is not duty.
The word is divorce, and he wants one.
And he feels terrible about it, too.
Andrew claims no one with character, originality, or spark has a place in the system.
Cut to Margaret meeting Peter Townsend after 35 years apart.
The old Margaret is back!
The next day, the Queen’s daughter Anne visits her mummy.
She’s done and will be marrying Tim.
Next, it’s Prince Charles' turn to complain about his marriage.
Unfortunately, as the future king, he is in his own category.
You see, God’s law is marriage for life, and being happily married is a preference.
Charles reminds his mother that Diana is hell-bent on blowing up the crown.
Oh, and here’s a quick tally: Margaret, Anne, and Andrew are all divorced.
Their family is the opposite of proper moral examples.
Finally, there’s a fire at Windsor Castle.
Way to kick a queen while she’s down!
We watch as Elizabeth witnesses her home burn around her.
On a walk with Peter, Margaret gives the rundown of the damage.
That afternoon, Peter made plans for their future.
And, like the drawing room, those plans went up in smoke.
Peter turns to Margaret and asks if their love was lasting.
We learn the answer when Margaret bursts into Elizabeth’s drawing room to inquire how the fire started.
Even though Elizabeth blames a blown fuse, Margaret wonders out loud if it was foul play.
You see, there are multiple suspects who would want to burn the place down.
Diana comes to mind after years of neglect.
Andrew is furious at his mother.
Charles would like a divorce.
And what about Margaret?
She has every reason to torch her sister’s house.
Because she denied Margaret of her one true love.
Peter was her sun.
Peter was her water.
Elizabeth calmly tells Margaret that the Queen denied it, not her sister.
But Margaret is quick to rebuff that the exact same prohibition was not extended to Anne.
She gets to marry her average guy without question.
The situation is identical in every way.
Anne’s story ends happily.
Margaret’s does not.
Even after 40 years, why can’t Elizabeth admit her part in what happened?
This brings us to “annus horribilis,” or “horrible year.”
She publicly admits the errors of the past and hopes for reconciliation.
The episode ends with Elizabeth and Margaret chatting on the phone before bedtime.
First, Elizabeth apologizes for the system being horribly hard on the rest of the family.
Then Margaret asks Elizabeth to come over and get a little bit tipsy.
Elizabeth refuses, of course, and Margaret says she has to get sloshed on her own with Rum.
When Elizabeth compares her sister to a pirate, Margaret laughs.
Rum is her dog.
Elizabeth giggles back like a schoolgirl, noting her dogs' names are Brandy and Sherry.
Episode 5: “The Way Ahead”
Everyone is listening.
And everyone wants to make a quick buck.
Recognizing a familiar voice, the man hits record just in time for the juicy bits.
The man runs straight to the newspaper, where he’s paid a handsome sum.
It’s held for safekeeping for another day.
Skipping ahead three years, we find that the Prince and Princess of Wales have decided to separate.
According to Charles, the group’s “modern changes” are a joke.
Charles takes matters into his own hands and gathers his own little group of followers.
The self-destruct button has been pressed, and something must be done.
The solution is to air a television special where cameras follow Charles.
The public needs to see a future king at work.
One who is preparing the monarchy for the upcoming millennium.
On the contrary, he’s in favor of faith in general.
He pledged to uphold his wedding vows until it became obvious that the marriage could not be saved.
But when nothing could be done, old friendships were rekindled.
Charles bares his soul to the nation, and the PR stunt works.
Younger people seem to be delighted by his response.
Anne visits her brother and notices his confident behavior.
She reminds him that they are not in the business of creating rival courts.
Instead, they are to walk behind the sovereign and not criticize.
Then we see Anne in front of an audience of family members.
She warns them that Charles is not as weak as everyone thinks.
In fact, he’s setting up his own Camelot with advisors and a progressive agenda.
The year is 1917.
They must get dressed immediately because they are being transferred.
But the men pull out guns and bayonets instead of cameras and flashbulbs.
Thank goodness for a flash forward.
It appears the Russian people love him for not wavering in uncertainty.
Still, Elizabeth receives it as disrespectful to her family’s memory.
The Romanovs deserve a decent burial.
Yeltsin agrees and promises to do everything he can to restore their memory.
Prince Philip is the grandnephew of Alexandra Romanov, Nicholas' wife.
Unfortunately, the burial does not occur because a few bodies remain unidentified.
Oh, it is on.
The Queen wants her husband to explain his random outburst, and Philip lets it all out.
He wishes Elizabeth was more energetic and curious.
Instead, her desire for calm and stability has left him lonely.
So he’s found intellectual and spiritual companionship elsewhere.
Her brain automatically goes to the worst-case scenario.
And theclosest comrade he has is Penny.
The Queen’s jaw drops to the floor.
When she picks it up, she haughtily responds, “Your godson’s wife?
She’s half your age!”
I genuinely do not believe that Philip had any illicit behavior concerning Penny.
It seemed like the friendship leaned more toward father/daughter than an affair.
Whatever the case, Philip is unwilling to grant Elizabeth’s wish to end this companionship.
In fact, he takes it a step further and asks his wife to befriend Penny.
He wants them to be seen in public together to legitimize the friendship.
The Queen obliges and meets Penny at the horse stables back home in England.
Edward remembers his mother answering no when asked.
It’s a bitter rivalry between two aristocratic women.
Elizabeth looks Penny directly in the eyes and tells her she is dead wrong.
The decision had nothing to do with rivalry.
Queen Mary was devastated when she learned the entire family had been killed.
But when you’re a sovereign, you take that devastation to the grave.
you’ve got the option to’t show those emotions.
They become part of your DNA.
The Queen mic drops Penny and thanks her for showing so much interest in Romanov history.
She dismisses Penny, turns back toward the barn, and stuffs her emotions deep inside.
It’s hard to tell who is having a more challenging time with this transition between Diana and William.
William copes with his sadness by trying to make friends.
Diana chooses a different route.
She agrees to tell her story to the BBC data pipe.
Martin Bashir is a journalist at the internet who figures out a way to secure Diana’s story.
Bashir manages to speak with Charles Spencer, who has just been the victim of a phone hacking story.
What Spencer doesn’t know is that Bashir forged these documents as a way to get close to Diana.
You bet it did.
Diana leaves her home to visit her brother.
On the way, her brakes give out, and she nearly has a wreck.
Spencer promises he’ll be right there with her through thick and thin.
Meanwhile, William pays Granny a visit, and they bond over Eton traditions.
Jokingly, Elizabeth replies that there’s a flag on every building she enters.
This makes her very easy to find, and Diana is welcome to visit whenever she likes.
But it’s clear that the Queen is worried about the future sovereign and how his life feels fractured.
All he wants is for his mummy to be happy.
Then he invites her for a date near the third-floor vending machine.
What’s more adorable than a romantic dinner made entirely of junk food?
She’s powerful and popular, which is a dangerous combination according to the crown.
She’s a threat.
And the bigger the threat, the more lies are created to silence the problem.
The best thing Diana can do is go public with her story.
Even though Oprah and Barbara Walters are interested, the BBC would give her full control.
Additionally, she would be protected by a web connection with journalistic integrity.
Back at the palace, Elizabeth questions her sister about Diana.
She assumes Margaret and the Princess talk since Margaret has always been sympathetic toward the Princess.
Although Margaret doesn’t ever converse with Diana, she does understand her plight.
Diana is an outsider.
She’s emotionally complex.
She has flair, character, and star quality.
The system isn’t easy for people like them.
People who have a story to tell.
Watching anything but the BBC would be treason.
Oh, the foreshadowing.
Yes, she will be critical of the monarchy.
Of course, she’s going to go after Charles.
Birt is concerned that Diana is airing her personal agenda on a national platform.
Duke wants Birt to whip up a fun tribute for the Queen.
Birt rolls his eyes and asks if it’s necessary to “kiss the ring.”
Duke warns Birt that for better or for worse, they have a monarchy.
This isn’t new Britain.
This is GREAT Britain.
The BBC exists thanks to the royals.
It’s time they celebrate their greatest asset.
No one will even consider what Diana is doing.
We see Charles and Camilla kissing as we hear Diana tell the sordid details of her marriage.
The Queen is laughing with her husband as the Princess admits she is the equivalent of an invisibility cloak.
She will no longer remain silent.
Elizabeth does not back down.
On the contrary, she addresses her daughter-in-law with resolve.
Not once has Elizabeth ever said Diana was a mistake.
Diana’s feelings of being an outcast are a figment of her imagination.
Also, is it too late to stop the interview from airing?
That would be an affirmative.
Diana is somewhat crushed to hear that the interview will air on the Queen’s wedding anniversary.
Instead, the Princess of Wales will give a tell-all interview that will define the BBC.
This is an accurate statement.
It felt a bit crowded."
Diana isn’t speaking out of bitterness or anger.
She’s sad because her marriage has failed.
The termination of their marriage is not only inevitable but preferable at this point.
We see the monotony of the decision unfold in the courthouse.
Everything is proper, brisk, and punctual.
What once was a loving marriage is stamped broken in minutes.
Camilla is holed up in her home, thanks to the paparazzi living at the end of her driveway.
Charles and Camilla need to get married.
Sure, remarriage while the first wife is still alive is treason in Charles' book.
She needs to be in the spotlight.
People need to know her as a future sovereign.
On the flip side, he asks Diana to be more flexible.
Cut to Bolland encouraging Charles and Camilla to get ready.
History proves that he can’t help their image until the divorce is resolved.
Diana has been perceived as disloyal to the crown, so they need to be the reasonable ones.
In public, they must be stable, settled, and mature.
No matter what Diana requests, sign the papers, take the high ground, and get it done.
Then Camilla can come out into the open.
Charles does just that.
And then he finds himself at Kensington Palace, knocking on Diana’s door.
For a moment, things are awkward, but the couple soon sinks into a natural rhythm.
Emotions flow differently when it’s just the two of them.
The BBC interview fractured many of Diana’s relationships.
The pair lays it all out on said table and perform a painful autopsy on their relationship.
Charles thinks Diana was too shy and difficult at times.
But there was always love and respect.
Did you see their fairytale wedding?
The entire world placed a ton of pressure on both of their shoulders.
And they couldn’t bear it together.
Charles doesn’t argue.
He simply states, “Neither did Camilla.”
Diana understands his frustration but informs the Prince that her words were twisted.
She thinks the monarchy will stop him from doing what makes him happy.
Charles whines that it’s not about his likes and dislikes.
He was born into this role!
She knew what she was getting into when she married him!
Diana married a man.
A man she loved dearly.
Not a monarchy in waiting.
And she had a son with that man.
His expression doesn’t change when Diana asks the question on everyone’s mind.
“Why did you marry me?”
you’re free to hear a pin drop when Charles honestly answers, “I had no choice.
My parents were perfectly aware I loved someone else.”
That popularity has clearly been transferred to William, who everyone prefers to see as king.
Charles receives this punch to the gut without flinching.
He’s heard this a thousand times.
The next thing we see is the stagnant courtroom filled with photographers.
Finally, the case is called for couple number 31.
The man with the powdered wig consents to grant the divorce decree.
And just like that, the royal relationship is severed forever.
The girlfriend is American model Kelly Fisher.
He wants his son equally yolked to someone who is their equal.
Mou Mou compares Kelly to a swimsuit model.
She will bring shame to the family, just like Dodi’s joke of a movie career.
The Al Fayeds deserve royalty.
My ultimate wish is that the Queen hung the fish in her guest powder room in Buckingham Palace.
If Tony Blair is in, that means the calm, dependable John Major is out.
He’s lost his position to a young, successful guy who made the labor party cool again.
The new guy wants the Britannia to be privately financed, which sends Anne over the edge.
The royal yacht can be rented?
Queen Elizabeth would rather Britannia be decommissioned before she’s passed on to others.
So it’s settled.
He will deliver his speech in torrential rain and return on Britannia’s last voyage.
Much like the retirement of the royal yacht, Charles feels the family needs a similar transformation.
Wouldn’t the public like to see a happily married future king?
Also known as the Prince of Wales' future.
I wonder if Queen Elizabeth felt that stab to her heart.
Elizabeth: “Ask Charles to come see me as soon as he has a moment.”
Somebody’s in trouble.
Mou Mou asks Diana to meet him after for a bite.
Diana has heard that Charles wants to throw a big party for Camilla’s 50th birthday.
She wants to take the boys to America for a summer holiday but isn’t allowed.
Mou Mou offers for Diana and her sons to join him on his yacht in Saint-Tropez.
Won’t that be fun?
Next, Elizabeth must deal with Charles, who has just entered her chambers.
Can’t his mother get on board with Camilla?
The people want him to be happy, and the Prime Minister agrees.
This is the moment when steam comes out of Elizabeth’s ears.
The sovereign is the only person in the family to have direct contact with Tony Blair.
Here we go again.
The moment of truth.
Charles stares his mother down and chokes out a straightforward question: When?
We all know how this turns out.
Elizabeth curtly explains that the role of the sovereign is a role for life.
Let the record show that the Queen was 96 when shepassed away this year.
Charles' shoulders fall in defeat.
He gets one last dig in before he excuses himself.
Hong Kong easily removed itself from the monarchy.
That’s what happens when people fail to move with the times.
And those who remain will be left with nothing.
The crown is in a fragile state.
What can save them from further public scrutiny?
The Crownseason 5 is now streaming on Netflix.
