The Crown - Seasons 1 & 2

     Beauty and pageantry, history and duty, and no small amount of scandal and scorn creates the extraordinary true life account of  England's longest serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Crown is a remarkable series that  brings to light of one young woman's service to her country, to her family and even at times, herself. While numerous biographies have been written about Queen Elizabeth as well as movie and documentaries been made, The Crown really searches and tells not just Elizabeth's stories, but also the stories of those closest and dearest to her. 

     If The Crown makes anything clear, it is that Elizabeth was never born to be queen nor did she ever want to be queen, but royal families rarely, if ever, get their way. 

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Princess/Queen Elizabeth II

     Growing up as the older daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, Princess Elizabeth Windsor had a happy (if not sheltered) life. However, all that changes when her uncle and the new king of England abdicates to marry a woman not suited for the royal family. Now, Elizabeth's father, King George VI, must carry the heavy burden as a symbol of pride for his people and must raise his young daughter to understand that burden and to carry it and wear it honorably and with sacrificial duty. That duty simply known as the Crown. 

     As Elizabeth grows into a young woman, she marries the man she loves, becomes a mother and for a time is able to live a life without the regulations and restrictions of the Crown. However, the sudden death of her father plunges Elizabeth into a torrent of of unexpected, but certainly not unprepared, life in sole devotion to crown and country. Yet, it does not come without heavy costs. 

     Duty to the Crown puts immense strain on Elizabeth's marriage and creates long absences from her children. Her own sister's happiness goes from a family dispute to national news. She must deal with the changing attitudes of her subjects as the Royal Family face ridicule for their archaic ways as well as their lives becoming news for tabloids. The young Queen is torn in every single direction and must rely on solid advice from selected advisers (such as Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the formidable Queen Mary) and her own quiet faith that has sustained her throughout life. 

     Elizabeth is by no means a perfect person, wife, mother, sister, daughter or friend. However she is probably as close to a perfect monarch as anyone could possibly get. And while she may have her imperfections, she is resolute and faithful in her duty. She loves deeply and passionately and only ever wants to make a happy life for her family. And yet, the Crown weighs heavily on her young shoulders and Elizabeth must do everything in her willpower to keep it from crashing down on her. 

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Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh 

     Handsome and daring Prince Philip of Greece caught the eye of young Princess Elizabeth and from that moment on, destiny was set between these two royals. Yet, Philip's life from a lonely prince growing up in Nazi occupied Germany, to a fun loving naval officer and then husband to the queen of England as well as a not always competent father, has hardly been boring or for that matter traditional. 

     Philip has grown up never really wanted by anyone. He was rescued from his own dysfunctional family by his uncle Louis (Dickie) Mountbatten who helped the young prince grow into a reasonably respectable man and naval officer, but was never really a father figure. Even in marriage to England's most eligible young woman, Philip is still not wanted. Seen as too rash and hotheaded, Elizabeth's parents and most everyone else in their circle were opposed to Philip, but Elizabeth, in a rare form of confrontation, refused to swayed and demanded that she be allow to marry Philip. 

     After a few short years of family life with their two children on the island of Malta, the young royal couple are a picture of domestic happiness and for Philip that is all he has ever wanted. Their lives are literally changed overnight when Elizabeth becomes Queen and once again Philip is lost with no role, no purpose and increasingly no hope of a normal family life. 

     The stress of marriage to the Queen of England causes Philip to make decisions that have painful consequences for his family and his people. Over ten years of marriage and most of them spent on the throne, Elizabeth and Philip must reach an ultimatum in their life together. Divorce is out of the question, but for the sake of their children and for the Crown, Elizabeth must decide where her husband stands in her life. Either walking behind her or standing by her side.

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Princess Margaret Rose

     The beautiful and talented younger sister to the Queen who is also spoiled, petulant and willful. Margaret has always been use to getting her own way, so when she is denied what she wants, she makes sure everyone suffers for it. Not to be too harsh on Margaret, she did for a while follow the rules when it came to wanting to marry the man she loved, Captain Peter Towsend; yet as a divorced man, he can simply not be accepted by the Church of England. For years, Margaret waited patiently, but finally the Crown and its demands became too much and her dreams of love and happiness ended. 

     And so began Margaret's war against her family, her sister and the wretched Crown. After the loss of Peter, Margaret flounders in and out of sordid relationships causing her to sink into heavy drinking and depressions. Then she meets a Anthony Armstrong-Jones, a photographer with a shady life and who is everything that Margaret wants in order to spite her family.

     While Margaret gets her way, she never really gets what she wants. Desperate for attention and recognition, forever spouting out that she was "Daddy's favorite," and always at war with Elizabeth whenever it comes to the rules of crown and country. If she could not have the man she loved, then she'll make damn well sure that Elizabeth does not get the loyal sister and friend that she needs. 

   

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King George VI

     Elizabeth's beloved father who has weathered honorably through the second World War and hopes to live out the rest of his time on the throne in peace and rest. A gracious king, devoted husband and loving father, King George has only ever wanted the best happiness for his daughters and hopes that Elizabeth and her new life will have that. However, their is deep guilt at the fact that his brother's abdication from the throne has caused him to see his oldest daughter as first the heir to the throne and then second as his child. 

Queen Elizabeth/The Queen Mother

     The strong willed queen who has never left her husband's side and will never allow her own daughter to suffer from the same fate that killed her husband. Although at times she can conform to snobbery and just plain ignorance concerning the real world, Queen Elizabeth is a pillar of strength for her daughter who relies heavily on her mother's advice.

Winston Churchill

     The great man who led the charge against Hitler and refused to surrender during times of war, is still refusing to surrender during times of peace. Desperate to relive his glory days, Winston once again takes on the role of prime minster of England, but he is challenged constantly. Whether it's Prince Philip and his inability to conform to proper English precedence, the changing political climate (or the climate itself), deep family grief or just old age, Winston becomes an incredible asset to the young queen and guides her safely through the obstacles of her early reign. 

Captain Peter Townsend

     A war hero, turned valet to the king, eventually turns the head of lovely and innocent Princess Margaret. Although a married man, that doesn't deter Peter with dalliances with the young princess. When his wife leaves him, Peter and Margaret have an opportunity for marriage, but his divorce causes insurmountable issues with the Church of England. 

Anthony Armstrong-Jones

     Unashamedly wild, modern thinking and provocative, artist and photographer, Anthony Armstrong-Jones becomes an unlikely candidate for marriage to Princess Margaret. Certainly not royal material by any means, Anthony comes to the family in a time of changing social attitudes and the family had better catch up if they want the people's love and loyalty.

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     Exquisite in every sense of the word! I had my doubts at first, but every episode was just done to perfection. The performances from Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth (my last last casting choice), Matt Smith as Prince Philip, Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret and American actor John Lithgow as Winston Churchill were all wonderfully portrayed to perfection! Claire Foy as the Queen especially amazed me to absolute no end! While she bears no resemblance to Queen Elizabeth at all, her voice and small mannerisms were spot on. Extremely well done performance!

     Any royal lover would enjoy this series. The Crown doesn't just tell the story of the Windsors, but rather just a family that had to deal with being royal; as well as other families (such as the Churchill's) that were always in close proximity with them. Which is probably why it's called The Crown and not just the Windsors. The Crown of England extends far beyond Buckingham palace and its great weight can be felt by many, but carried well by very few.