What the Queen thought of her portrayal in The Crown
Yesterday (8 September), it was announced that the monarch died peacefully at Balmoral at the age of 96.
Over the course of her 70-year reign, Queen Elizabeth II and her family have been portrayed across a broad range of film and television productions.
Perhaps one of the most thorough depictions of the Queen's life has been Netflix's drama series The Crown, which has been running since 2016.
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In seasons one and two, Claire Foy portrayed Queen Elizabeth from 1947 to 1964.
For the third and fourth seasons, taking place from 1964 to 1990, Queen Elizabeth was played by Olivia Colman.
For the upcoming fifth and sixth seasons of The Crown, which will explore the Queen's life from the 1990s to the 2000s, Imelda Staunton is set to take over the role.
But what did the Queen make of her portrayal on the hit series?
Although The Crown has received its fair share of criticisms from friends of the Royal Family over the years, it's been reported that Queen Elizabeth rather enjoyed the programme.
According to The Sunday Express, the Earl and Countess of Wessex were fans of The Crown and would set up Saturday night screenings of the series at Her Majesty's private apartments in Windsor Castle.
A senior royal source told the publication: “Edward and Sophie love The Crown.
“It has been a longstanding arrangement that they drive to Windsor at the weekend to join the Queen for an informal supper while watching TV or a film. They have a Netflix account and urged her to watch it with them.”
They added: “Happily, she really liked it, although obviously there were some depictions of events that she found too heavily dramatised.”
Although the Queen had reportedly been a fan of the series, it was reported that there was one episode in particular that had not gone down well with the monarch - that being episode nine of season two.
The episode portrayed a debate between Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip on where they should send a young Prince Charles to school.
After Charles struggled to enjoy Gordonstoun, where he was reportedly bullied, Prince Philip, played by Matt Smith at the time, told his son that he was 'bloody weak'.
According to a senior courtier, the Queen was upset with the depiction of her husband in the episode.
Speaking to the Daily Express at the time, the spokesperson confirmed: "I can convey that she was upset by the way Prince Philip is depicted as being a father insensitive to his son's wellbeing.
"She was particularly annoyed at a scene in which Philip has no sympathy for a plainly upset Charles while he is flying him home from Scotland. That simply did not happen."
Earlier this summer, it was confirmed that The Crown has its own protocol in place should the Queen die.
Speaking to the New York Post, a show insider confirmed: “We have our own version of Operation London Bridge.
“This is particularly pertinent for if we are filming. Filming will shut down immediately if we are in production, for at least a week. There would also be lots of discussion about when to restart.”
The Crown series five is set to hit Netflix this November, while the sixth season is set to premier in 2023 - though filming for the final season will likely be put on pause now.
The Royal Family announced on Thursday that the Queen had died aged 96 in a Twitter statement, and soon after, Buckingham Palace confirmed the news, writing: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and Queen consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and return to London tomorrow.”
Topics: TV And Film, The Crown, Netflix
Ali Condon