The Crown – Terra Nullius

By: Kelly Kearney

On a tour to Australia new mother Diana struggles to find a way to mix motherhood with her royal duties while also remaining sane in the face of her crumbling marriage. The time away from England, and lets be real Camilla too, gives Charles a newfound respect for the mother of his son that could lead them to a reconciliation and some romance.

A Trip Down Under

The date is August 26, 1993 and Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke (Richard Roxburgh) is in the news talking about his country’s upcoming election. The news commentator interrupts him to discuss an upcoming visit from the Prince and Princess of Whales, but Hawke  (who has built a career for himself based on the idea that Australia should liberate itself from clutches of colonialism) is not exactly enthusiastic about the visit. He isn’t the only one dreading the trip. After Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) hears Hawke won his election, she knows her son and his wife have one shot at bringing the country back into the Monarchy’s fold. Who better to dazzle them than her son’s new media darling wife?

This trip is more than a goodwill tour, its imperative that England quell the flames of liberation before they lose another piece of their commonwealth. Her idea of a successful trip hinges on Charles (Josh O’Connor) and Diana (Emma Corrin) and how the Australians receive them. So, when Princess Margaret (Helena Bonham Carter) spills the tea that the couple is at odds, The Queen begins to worry this won’t be as simple as shaking a few hands and kissing a few babies. Apparently, Diana has been struggling with depression which has led to the resurgence of her bulimia. It doesn’t help that her husband spends all of his time with his girlfriend, Camilla (Emerald Fennell). I’m not talking about the occasional rendezvous behind everyone’s back. No, Charles and Camilla are hosting parties together, riding horses together and gathering a posh posse of supporters who treat them as if they’re husband and wife and not Prince and mistress. Lost in this endless Camilla shuffle is new mother Diana, who in between binging and purging has poured all her love and attention into their infant son, William. So, when the trip advisor informs the Princess that William will not be tagging along, Diana loses it and it very well might be the moment the royal family starts to equally lose their patience with her. After all, Elizabeth and Phillip left their children for six months at a time and they’re fine…oh…well…they’re alive anyway. The problem is Diana is not Elizabeth. She is more than capable of not only showering her children with love, but putting them ahead of her royal duties – something that is utterly unheard of in this family. Diana thinks the easiest way to fulfill her royal duties is to raise the once and future king to be a decent and loving man. For the Princess, a mother’s love reigns supreme.

Is She Cut Out for This Job?

After the meltdown on the plane over baby William we see Charles and Diana make their first public appearance in a press conference. Diana struggles to answer questions about who funded the trip and what the costs would be to the nation.  Bob Hawke looks pleased that his people are catching on to his liberation policies. Later, when the couple goes for a stroll up a sandy hill in the Outback, the heat and exhaustion gets to Diana and she signals to Charles that she can’t go forward without a rest. Instead of helping her, Charles berates her for appearing weak and the staff begins to question if she is capable of completing the tasks the Crown requires of her.

After the scene on the hill, Charles rushes back to their hotel to complain about his wife to Camilla. He has no sympathy for her struggles and his vile and seething disgust for her spills out of his mouth like a feeding frenzy in shark infested waters. Camilla soothes his anger and tells him to call her whenever he feels the need to vent. Its not likely Diana will change anytime soon, especially when it comes to their son whom she misses dearly and convinces their advisors to bring him to her. As the day goes on Diana complains to Charles about how hard this trip and, lets be real, the marriage has been for her. He lets her know the staff informed him of her eating disorder and then turns her need to be appreciated and cared for into his own pity party. Charles thinks he is the king of the overlooked in their family and knows all too well what it’s like to not be heard. He is desperate for recognition, but when Diana mentions her issues also include Camilla we see Charles loses it and says the passion he shares with Camilla is different than what he has for Diana. However, that doesn’t mean he can’t love her. In fact, he admits he does love his wife and that seems to lift Diana’s spirits. Together they agree to compliment and support each other in all their endeavors. It’s a clean slate for the Prince and Princess of Wales. With the tour quickly becoming a smashing success, all of Australia is desperate to catch a glimpse of Princess Diana. Things are starting to look up for the warring duo, but we all know their flirtatious banter won’t last. After their conversation things continue to improve and they even fall into bed, presumably leading to the birth of their second son, Harry. The turn around is so drastic that after all the lovely moments together Charles starts declining Camilla’s phone calls.

A celebrated Princess Leads to a Jealous Prince

City by city their tour continues and Diana is relishing in her worldwide attention, but back home some of the royals, namely Anne (Erin Doherty), aren’t thrilled by the Princess’ newfound fame. In fact, she tells her mother that Diana might even eclipse the Queen’s popularity, at least when it comes to crowd sizes. What people seem to love about Diana is her dedication to her son. It’s relatable and makes her seem human, something the royals have worked tirelessly for but never really managed to accomplish.

Anne hits the nail on the head with her passive aggressive jab at her Mother. Diana has eclipsed all the other shining stars in the family, including the matriarch and her eldest son Charles. No time is this clearer than at the end of their trip in Australia. Diana’s fame is a star burning so brightly there is no room for anyone else, including her husband. When their schedules send them to different locations, Charles shows up to an event without his wife and the crowds boo him. He is not who they came to see and now he is livid. When both return to the hotel Charles is stewing in his emotions and blames Diana for her own popularity, something she cannot control but the monarchy and Britain should be thankful for. When they arrived the people of Australia were ready to give the royals the boot. They wanted Australians leading them, not an old woman halfway across the earth. Diana changed that. Now the country is sold on the monarchy and they owe it all to her maternal instincts and relatability. Charles could care less as he is feeling petty and snubbed and storms off leaving Diana shaken and definitely stirred. Later that day Bob Hawke meets with the couple and he privately tells Charles his hopes of Republicanism has taken a massive hit and England owes it all to his charming and beautiful wife. He tells Charles how lucky he is, but all the Prince can think about is his bruised ego. After their earlier argument Diana’s eating disorder has returned and it takes every bit of strength she has to share a flight back home with her husband. When the plane lands the Prince gets in one car and heads to Gloucester and Camilla while the Princess orders her driver to take her to Highgrove. Their brief reconciliation is over and their marriage is once again on the rocks.

The episode ends with Diana calling a meeting with the Queen about her crumbling marriage to Charles and his jealousy over her crowds. The Queen will not entertain any talk about her son behind his back and questions if her daughter-in-law perhaps enjoys the fame a little too much. It’s always Diana’s fault, even when it isn’t. She begs the Queen for her understanding and then surprises her with a hug. Elizabeth is as awkward as ever when it comes to displays of affection and shrugs off Diana’s expression of love and then complains to the other women in her family about the uncomfortable moment. She is not completely heartless though. She does wonder if the family is being too hard on her and maybe they could all use some lessons in wearing their hearts upon their sleeves. After all, Diana has managed to accomplish something none of them ever has. Not just the respect of the people, but their genuine love and admiration for a people’s Princess. Time will tell if Diana can sway them to her side or if eventually the family will break her irreparably, like they have done to so many who came before her.