The Crown - series 3

[southeastdweller]

I'm so looking forward to seeing this when it returns next Sunday!

Jared Harris-fabulous!

Alex Jennings as Uncle David though!

Anyone remember him from Morse?

I'm finding the tone and the inaccuracies a bit much this series. It's a shame as I loved the first two series.
I was really disappointed that no mention of Princess Alices heroism in the war was mentioned.

Grim yy it seemed odd that they mentioned (inaccurately apparently) about her connection to Freud but didn't mention that she helped hide Jewish people during the war.

I've been thinking about that Shawcross article. I'm not sure I do agree with him. I feel more fondly towards Prince Philip since I've watched The Crown. I don't think he was the villain in the earlier seasons. The only obvious villains were Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson who were Nazis and then the programme makers seemed to inexplicably soften their stance on them in the episode about his illness and death.

Alex Jennings was Alan Bennett in the Lady in the Van. Contrast between AB & Uncle David rather extreme!

I just don't think she does that old school aristocracy cut glass voice, half as well as :

Claire Foy
Matt Smith
Vanessa Kirby

The thing is, though, that by the late 60s those accents really were toning down - I can remember, in around 1968, hearing a recording of the Queen from around 1950 and the difference in her accent between the two dates was very noticeable.

I agree Spotlight, both about my disappointment about the absence of Alice’s war heroics, and about seeing Morgan’s fictional “Philip” as a very sympathetic and nuanced character. There are countless scenes in which you really warm to him, but there’s no denying that he was a pretty unsuccessful father to Charles.

It’s possible that they’ll revisit Alice of course. She was reburied in Jerusalem in 1988 and honoured by Israel (with Philip in attendance) in 1994 so Morgan may well chose to use either of those events to tie in with thematic development of Philip’s character: that’s what I’d do.

I like Olivia Colman's portrayal - she's buried most of her usual mannerism and particularly does the Queen's resting bitch face very well.

I had a niggle with Princess Anne being portrayed as the popular member of the family. My recollection is that she went through quite a long period being particularly unpopular - not for any particular reason, just that the tabloids loves to pick on a royal or two to hate. Then they suddenly noticed that she worked bloody hard whilst keeping her head down, and decided that they liked her after all, but that wasn't till well into the 70s.

I think the press started to change towards Anne after her kidnap attempt. She was fairly brave IIRC.

It's about The Crown though, so I doubt there will be any more devoted to Alice, as interesting as that would have been.

I love the portrayal of Anne as completely bullshit free. The way she spoke to HM and the QM et al about her affair with Andrew Parker Bowles was classic. "I'm sorry, was that too emotional for you?"

In the drama, the miners were led by Arthur Scargill. Wrong!

Thank goodness someone else noticed this too. I thought my mind was playing tricks. I was thinking 'where's Joe Gormley?'

I think the press started to change towards Anne after her kidnap attempt. She was fairly brave IIRC.

It'd be nice to think so, but I can remember the press having a pop at her over the announcement of Diana's first pregnancy. She was on a charity tour abroad and they asked her what she thought of the news. Understandably her focus was on the work she was there to do. I think she said "I haven't heard anything about it" or something very similar. Anyway the press made quite a meal of what a misery she was.

I think that they sometimes try to crack a joke, whereas it would (imo) be as easy to say "I'm delighted for them"

I'm presuming they are not showing the kidnap attempt as they've already gone past it in time. I think the next series will start with Mountbatten's assassination

Great article here about Princess Anne. Loads of detail about the kidnap attempt, which was a lot more violent than I realised at the time.

I’ve never heard of EOnline, it’s American, but article doesn’t read American (iyswim)

m.eonline.com/uk/news/972628/the-unflappable-princess-anne-how-the-queen-s-daughter-dealt-with-a-kidnap-attempt-divorce-diana-the-title-her-royal-rudeness

I watched a fascinating parkinson interview with Princess Anne, she talks humourasly about the kidnap attempt

*In the drama, the miners were led by Arthur Scargill. Wrong!

Thank goodness someone else noticed this too. I thought my mind was playing tricks. I was thinking 'where's Joe Gormley?'*

I must admit, I rather shot from the hip when I wrote that, such was my outrage. So when I’d regained my composure I did a bit of checking and it was indeed Joe Gormley who led the miners during the 1974 strike (and during the 1972 strike, which had far greater positive results for the miners. You might want to read up on it for interest). However, Scargill was leader of the Yorkshire miners before he became president of the NUM so it is conceivable that he played a part in the 1974 strike - I don’t know - which would lend an element of truth to the The Crown portrayal. He may well have been involved in the negotiations with the Government, although Gormley was the face of the Union.

is hilarious, she comes across as having a very dry sense of humour and certainly knows how to tell a story. And her hairdo hasn't changed in 30 years!

Just watched the Duke of Windsor one.

It was quite sad, wasn't it?

In the end just two frail old people.

He could be vicious though, couldn't he?

"Shirley Temple" & so "Mrs Temple" for the Queen Mother.

Cookie for the QM "because she looks like a fat cook"

Alex Jennings was better as the DOW, right level of spite I. His mouth and voice

There is some gossip that the QM was the daughter of the cook herself.

Not a Royal fan overall but have made an exception for Princess Anne since she told some tabloid journalists to "Naff Orf", many years ago. Shock horror outrage. Admirable. Good for her. Terrible hair but otherwise ok.

I have gone down a bit of a YouTube rabbit hole of Princess Anne interviews. She is really good, quick-witted and surprisingly warm. And well versed in whatever topic is being discussed.

She was a beauty as a young woman, no idea why she got that awful hairstyle and kept it for life

That article is fascinating @GiantKitten. Anne comes across as surprisingly well adjusted. Did the maths and was shocked that the Queen went back out to Malta though when Anne was a three month old baby and Charles was just gone two, leaving them both behind. I know it's a different social set but