The Crown

Have you watched Netflix’s original series, The Crown? It premiered on Netflix last month and I just finished watching it a few weeks ago and I loved it! This series really kept me interested for various reasons. I love history and although this show is just inspired by true events (who knows what the conversations really were or what really happened behind closed doors) it is an interesting look into history and the royal family which is another fascination of mine.

The show follows a young Queen Elizabeth navigating life, politics, marriage, motherhood, and the world of royalty. The show begins with her still being a princess as her father, King George, is still alive. But early on in the series, her father dies and she is suddenly thrust into the position as reigning monarch and learning as she goes.

I found it really interesting and at times emotional. What we do see of the royal family is always carefully curated so that we only see the image they want portrayed. And I’m not knocking it; obviously they have an image to uphold. But, what The Crown does, I think, is humanizes these figures and you get to see everything behind the scenes. The power struggles, marital woes, and sacrifices that are made for the crown are all so captivating.

The history and relationships grasp your attention but the emotions the show evokes keeps you interested. In the episode where her father dies, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for Elizabeth to finally find out the news as she was on a royal tour in Africa and no one could find her while she was on safari. I would get annoyed when people would undercut her and her wishes because she was young and a new Queen and they thought they knew better. She showed a lot of restraint to let this happen and to take their advice – I mean if I were a queen I think I’d be like “nope this is what I want”. I felt sad when her uncle was crying because of how he is basically shunned from the family and treated poorly by his own family. I would feel a mix of sympathy and annoyance at her sister Princess Margaret and all her drama.

I think the best way to explain how great of a show this is is to just share the trailer.

I can’t wait for the next season to come out even though it will probably be a year from now.