The Crown – Gold Stick

By: Kelly Kearney

The Crown is back and so are the trials and tribulations of the royal family. In the premiere episode we are thrust into a civil unrest between the Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland with a new and rather divisive resident walking the halls of 10 Downing street. Gone is the masculine gaze of Churchill and Wilson who have been replaced with a female Prime Minster. Thatcher is the name on the lips of the Queen and her subjects, but she isn’t alone in gripping the country’s attention. That role solely belongs to a fresh faced Kindergarten teacher who is about to turn the stuffy Windsor family on their crowned heads. Season Four introduces two formidable women who could not be from further ends of the leadership spectrum. Margaret Thatcher and Diana Spencer are injected into the middle of this ageing monarchy and with them comes the hopes for a working partnership, a stable Kingdom and a suitable wife for the heir to England’s throne.

Spill More Blood

We begin in the middle of what history refers to as “The Troubles” with the Irish Republican Army. The rowdy lads in Northern Ireland are Hell bent on bringing their nationalist rage to the doors of their enemies, which has always been the occupying British. With scenes of violence paired with Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) dressed in regal red and clutching her golden stick, we see the royals are preparing for an annual ceremony. Flashing images of protests juxtaposed with the royal family’s grand and opulent celebration sets the mood for the entire era and certainly for the fourth season of the show. While the oppressed people riot to have their voices heard we see all the royals, including Lord Mountbatten (Charles Dance), who is more of an honorary family member, take part in the day. Everyone is present but Charles (Josh O’Connor), who we later learn is licking his broken hearted wounds with some good old outdoorsy nature. Over spilled tea at Buckingham Palace we quickly learn that the Prince’s romance with Camilla Parker has hit a snag thanks to his family pushing her out of Charles’ path and into the arms of a new husband. The arranged marriage has done little to turn Charles off of his first love. In fact, thanks to Dickie Mountbatten’s slip in judgement leading to his advice on all matters of the heart, Charles is now putting the Crown in jeopardy by sneaking around with Camilla. Adultery does not sit well with the Queen or, for that matter, her husband who quickly blames their son’s wandering eye on Dickie and his influence. After going down the list of women Charles has pushed aside for Parker, the name Sarah Spencer (Isobel Eadie) is mentioned. Everyone at the table takes a sigh of relief now that Charles might be settling on a proper Princess in training.

Unbeknownst to the Windsor’s, the Prince’s burgeoning romance hits a snag when Charles runs into Sarah’s shy and soft spoken sister before his date. Dressed in a costume from A Midsummer Night’s Dream an eighteen year old Diana Spencer (Emma Corrin) hides from the famous Prince until he notices her lurking from behind a house plant. She apologizes for the impromptu meeting, saying she swore to her sister she would remain out of sight and not ruin Sarah’s date. Immediately it’s clear that the young girl is charming with a touch of self-deprecating humor that seems to make her all the more attractive to Charles. When he finally leaves the house with the elder Spencer girl, Diana watches on from the window like she just met the boy of her dreams…or at least a famous Prince who left a deep impression on her tender heart.

10 Downing has been “Thatchered”

“That’s the last thing this country needs. Two women running shop,” says Phillip (Tobias Menzies) on the news of Britain’s new Prime Minster. The Conservative party has chosen Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson) – a daughter of a shop keep turned Barrister turned leader of Parliament – an impressive woman who managed to rise to the top while also being tied to a husband and a set of twins. If Phillip is concerned with Thatcher’s well-known opinionated iron grip on the ruling party, his wife, the Queen, doesn’t share his worries. In fact, Elizabeth is quite impressed with the PM’s strong willed determination that brought her to Downing Street. She laments that perhaps the woman who leads their government would make an excellent partner to a beloved Queen. Liz’s girl’s-club excitement dies the minute Margaret enters Buckingham Palace. After taking a respectful knee to honor Her Royal Majesty, the two women get on the topic of cabinet picks. The Queen, who loves to predict who her PM will choose, is stunned when her assumptions of a heavily female cabinet is downplayed by the woman she assumed would be a feminist leader. After all, Margaret has the opportunity to share her power with other competent women, but according to Thatcher competent women in government do not exist. Not to mention they are unpredictably emotional. Elizabeth’s hopes for another woman in power to share her struggles and glory fizzles instantly and the two finish their meeting with the Queen rattling off names of possible appointees. Later Margaret tells her husband Denis (Stephen Boxer) that the Queen is more informed than she thought. For the new PM, Elizabeth’s unwavering dedication to her work is not only familiar but will prove to be a good partner in governing the people.

Bloody Sunday Wreaks Havoc on the Royal family

With the election over and a new PM at 1o Downing, the Royal family takes a break from their duties to go on holiday. Princess Anne (Erin Doherty), a recent Olympic equestrian, chats with her father about getting back in the saddle after she spent so long recovering from an injury. Phillip gives her a pep talk and then the family heads out on a hunting expedition. Noticeably absent is Charles and Dickie. The Prince is in Iceland for some fly fishing and his surrogate grandfather is in Ireland trapping lobsters. After a phone call that did nothing to convince the Prince of giving up his rendezvous with Camilla to join the family in Broadlands, Lord Mountbatten furiously writes Charles a letter reminding him of his duties to the Crown. He knows he encouraged the boy to fight for his love, but with Camilla married it is long past time for the heir to choose his Princess; preferably one the country will love. Dickie leaves the letter with his staff and heads out to the boat launch with his grandson, Nicholas (Evan Whitt). While teaching the young boy the proper etiquette of lobster fishing and why you always throw the pregnant females back, the unimaginable happens. A bomb strategically placed on board the boat goes off! The explosion kills Dickie, Nicholas and another boy who was paid help on the trip. When word gets back to the family they are all stunned, but anger soon kicks in after the well-known faction called the IRA takes credit for the murders. Apparently, this death was in response to the thirteen lives lost during what history refers to as “Bloody Sunday” – a day when the British security forces flexed their muscle to maintain their power in Northern Ireland. Lives were lost and so Lord Mountbatten was the payback that has now embolden England’s Irish enemies. The minute the royal family gets word of the bombing Elizabeth calls PM Thatcher, who is already working on plan. She calls the attack criminal and an act of war, one that she promises she is prepared to fight until England is victorious. The IRA will pay and the Queen is satisfied with Margaret’s response.

The next day Charles arrives home for the funeral and quickly finds out his grandfather left him five hundred pages of instructions for the service and they all fall on the young Prince’s head. Phillip informs his son that he will be the one to eulogize Mountbatten leading to a discussion on fathers. A jealous Phillip, with a few scotches under his belt to lubricate his lips, lets it slip that he always felt pushed aside when it came to his son’s relationship with his father. Dickie was there for Phillip when his biological father couldn’t be, but all that changed when Charles came on the scene. Dickie became the young boy’s father and in return he replaced Phillip as Dickie’s son. The pain this caused him is palpable, but in true royal fashion he pushes it down and readies himself for the funeral.

Diana Spencer

After burying Lord Mountbatten, the entire family attends Princess Anne’s return to equestrian competitions. They watch as she masterfully guides her horse over each hurdle, firmly lading her in 6^th place. When the family leaves, Charles spots Diana in the road and she makes a beeline to the Prince to offer up her condolences. At first Charles doesn’t recognize her without her costume, but after she introduces herself and shows him kindness over his loss Charles can’t help but watch her in his rearview mirror. That’s twice now the teenager has made an impression on Charles and it’s enough for him to call her sister Sarah and inquire about the young girl! Sarah, who is now engaged to another man, gives Charles Diana’s phone number, but not before she lets him in on a few details about her sister. Diana is a part-time kindergarten teacher and part time cleaning lady who turns heads and enjoys having a good time. Her family name, as well as her shy demeanor, could be exactly what Charles needs in order to forget Camilla. It is not long before he interrupts Diana’s bedroom dance off with a phone call and an offer for a date. From the look on the surprised Spencer girl’s face, she has every intention of accepting.

As the premiere episode draws to a close we see Charles and his entourage arrive for his date.  A nervous Diana waits for him on the balcony of her family home having no idea what a date with the Prince will mean for her personal life and for the country. She greets Charles with a smile and a simple “your highness.” And with that simple introduction Diana takes her first step on the path to what would eventually be her tragic end.