Peter Morgan loves writing about Queen Elizabeth II so much, The Crown wasn’t his first time fictionalizing her life. Or even his second. A writer across stage and screen, Morgan’s first examination of the monarch was 2006’s The Queen. Seven years later, Morgan’s play The Audience debuted in London. Each had a specific focus on the Queen’s life. The Queen examined her reaction to Princess Diana’s death, and The Audience centered on meetings with her Prime Ministers.
For Morgan, creating The Crown was a no-brainer: a series that spanned the majority of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. It would last six seasons and cast three actresses in the role of a lifetime. Netflix saw the potential for a hit, and greenlit the series.
A jewel in Netflix’s, well, crown
At first, The Crown was a masterful exploration of a young woman stepping into a role she was not born, but destined, to occupy. When she was born, Elizabeth, then second in line for the throne, was not likely to rule. “For better or worse, the crown has landed on my head,” Elizabeth (Claire Foy) declares early on in the series.
The allure of The Crown was irresistible for audiences in the early days of its run. The figures at the center of the story were familiar to the audiences, but the history, perhaps, was not. The queen’s decades-long reign was The Crown’s most valuable asset. Since much of the audience was born during Elizabeth’s reign, how many people would already know about her early personal and public dilemmas? It helped, too, that real-world events in the royal family were dominating the headlines. (The series debuted soon after Prince Harry confirmed his romance with Meghan Markle, then best known for starring on Suits.)
Regime change
But seven years later, the series ran out of steam long before its actual conclusion. The series ended its run on December 14, with Imelda Staunton playing the Queen. (Olivia Colman, fresh off her Oscar win for The Favourite, portrayed the Queen in Seasons 3 and 4.) By ending with an elderly Elizabeth, the element of surprise has been long gone. By then, The Crown’s focus shifted from Elizabeth to Princess Diana (Emma Corrin, and later, Elizabeth Debicki.)
Princess Diana remains a beloved figure of culture 26 years after her tragic death, but The Crown puts her at the center of its world even though it was supposed to be about Elizabeth. Though some of Diana’s era is dedicated to her extraordinary compassion, much of it is about life under a microscope. The media’s attention is nothing to the monarchy’s scrutiny. Scenes without Diana are usually still about her — characters discuss how Diana gets more media attention, or how Charles (Josh O’Connor/Dominic West) should divorce her. Her struggles with an eating disorder and her desire for privacy feel exploited rather than explored. “Look how sad her life was!” The Crown seems to say, with little else beyond that. No material about Diana feels new, instead covering the same territory about the People’s Princess that seem all too familiar. (At least Spencer had an interesting take on her inner life!)
A royal re-focus
The problem with setting The Crown from 1947 to 2005 is that it should have enough about Elizabeth to sustain 58 years of plot. Removing focus from Elizabeth to Charles and Diana defeats the point. When The Crown reaches the end of Charles and Diana’s marriage, it treads territory that still feels recent, even though their divorce occurred almost 30 years ago. The intrigue is gone. The early years of The Crown covered territory less familiar to viewers, from Princess Margaret’s (Vanessa Kirby) romance with a member of Elizabeth’s staff, to London’s Great Fog in 1952. The early years of The Crown take place before most of the royal family’s lives were constantly chronicled. There was more mystery to these times.
The Crown once filled a void in period drama storytelling, initially telling stories that would be new to current audiences. Queen Elizabeth had been such a fixture of British culture that it was difficult to imagine to her early reign. The first two seasons remain some of the best television of the 2010s, for treading where royal-themed series had yet to go. But when some history still feels recent, perhaps it’s best to leave it alone until there’s enough distance.
All episodes of The Crown are now streaming on Netflix.
Image courtesy of Netflix
Claire was once asked in elementary school why her go-to question was always, “Watch anything good lately?” It’s still her go-to question, because she loves hearing what other people are passionate about. She often sacrifices sleep in the hopes that she will one day clear her to-watch and to-read lists (a futile effort so far).
This blog post beautifully highlights the evolution of “The Crown” and raises thought-provoking questions about its direction. I would love to know, what do you think would have been a more fitting focus for the series after exploring Queen Elizabeth II’s reign?