Royal Fans Are Asking Just How Accurate The Crown Really Is

For some fans of The Crown, the hit Netflix series provides a fascinating insight into the life of Queen Elizabeth II and her role in British history. But critics of the show have warned against taking the events depicted in the narrative as a matter of factual public record. That’s because the program is known to bend the truth in the interests of adding drama. Indeed, it’s led to calls for a disclaimer to be added to the show.

The first series of The Crown was released on Netflix in November 2016. The historical drama tells the story of the present British Queen’s reign from her 1947 wedding to Prince Philip and, by the end of its run, is set to take audiences up to the early 21st century. And the action mainly focuses on the personal and political lives of the British monarch.

The Crown was devised by writer Peter Morgan, who’s no stranger to the subject-matter. He was responsible for the Oscar-winning 2006 movie The Queen, which saw Helen Mirren star as Elizabeth II. The author also penned the play The Audience, which examines the British monarch’s relationship with the prime ministers who have served the country during her reign.

So when it came to creating The Crown Morgan was on familiar territory. But bringing the drama to life would require a lot of background work. Across roughly 30 months, a specialist team interviewed people close to the royals and scoured biographies, cabinet minutes, and archives before the writer even put pen to paper.

Another crucial part of The Crown was to be its cast. The initial line-up for the show saw Claire Foy and Matt Smith take starring roles as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip for the first two series. They have subsequently been replaced by Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies, who play the monarch and her husband, respectively in Season Three and Season Four.