The Crown Series 4

[Housewife2010]

Anyone else getting excited? The Diana trailer looks great. It's on Netflix on 15th November.

I am enjoying this more than series 3 but I do agree Gillian Anderson is a bit OTT in her portrayal of thatcher. I think Tobias Menzies is fab as Phillip although Matt Smith was excellent too.

For me the series is creating a fair balance between how:

• Diana was both naive and manipulative. Damaged and fragile but also with the ability to charm and manipulate people when she needs to (e.g. the scene with PP).
• Her family could not have cared less about her; at best they left her to fend for herself, at worst they traded her health and happiness in for power and position (as so many of those types of families have done for centuries)
• The Royal family were pathologically incapable of seeing how much more help she needed or how hard the situation they placed her in was going to be for someone so green. Perhaps, stupidly, assuming Charles was providing some kind of support for her in the early days.
• How Charles had a very different view on what a marriage between them would be like, than she did.

When Thatcher died, Carol was playing such a huge part in her life. I don't think I've ever heard of Mark since he was lost in the 80s. It made me think of the Stately Homes threads on here and how damaging it is to know another child is the favourite, especially what that child is selfish.

I really hope they feature Martin Bashir and his forged bank statements in Series 5!

That really shocked me - I felt so sorry for not only Diana and her brother, but the poor graphic artist who took the fall while the interview was the making of Martin Bashir's career.

As far I recall, CPB was quite happy married to Mr PB and they were both content for things to remain as they were. There is kudos in the PoW being 'very fond indeed' of one's wife. Mr PB is/was a courtier. It was not a secret. When Charles did the Dimbleby interview and admitted their affair to us plebs, then some face saving had to be done. Thus divorce etc.

The whole thing is just so pathetic really! What is the point of them. I thought the whole thing is the royal family were meant to be held to a higher standard. In reality it’s just like a wealthy soap opera. None of them seem intelligent - none have any kind of career, sham marriages for titles, affairs, treating people like dirt and looking down on ordinary people.I have zero respect for them and don’t know how people kowtow and curtesy to them etc. Even William is rumoured to have had an affair and he has 3 young children.

I also think too much of historical significance was missed out in favour of the soap opera of the Wales marriage. Miners strike, poll tax riots, Brighton bombing... the series is called The Crown for a, reason, the other bits are just context, its not a history of Britain.

@SheSaidNoFuckThat

I actually really dislike Diana, she comes across as very fake, though growing up I never really understood the fascination with her, my DM loved her. We are on episode 6 now I think.

I think she kicked out at realising how she was being used. Call that manipulative if you like.

Don't forget the good she did. I remember her holding the hands of patients dying from AIDS, cuddling babies with AIDS, it was a very big thing at the time when sufferers were bring shunned. People were actually trying to get children with HIV banned from schools, there was real hysteria and I think her examples meant a lot. She also did represented charities opposed to landmines. Some politician accused her if meddling in things she didn't understand and she said 'children are being blown up what is there to understand?'. Yes, she made some bad choices, who hasn't, and some of those choices led to her death but I wouldn't say she was completely useless by any means.

I know Charles said he didn't have a physical affair with Camilla until his marriage to Diana had broken down but lordy, he was having quite the emotional affair wasn't he?

@CaptainMyCaptain

I also think too much of historical significance was missed out in favour of the soap opera of the Wales marriage. Miners strike, poll tax riots, Brighton bombing... the series is called The Crown for a, reason, the other bits are just context, its not a history of Britain.

Ok Princess Anne’s marriage, Olympic career, attempted kidnapping, the shot at the Queen....

@RuffleCrow

That's not really material *@Runningdownthathill* as she was still shagging Charles and could easily have got divorced if he'd given her the green light. As she did in the end anyway.

I think it suited her to be out of the limelight and not have the strain of being a Royal wife. Now she has her own house which she lives in during the week, can see her children and grandchildren when she likes, and has a semi private life. She's had everything her own way all along. I do think she's done a great job since marrying Charles though, and is obviously much better suited to him than Diana was.

@mrscampbellblackagain

I know Charles said he didn't have a physical affair with Camilla until his marriage to Diana had broken down but lordy, he was having quite the emotional affair wasn't he?

Wouldn’t believe a word of what he said about it, tbh!

I enjoyed this season but wish we’d had more of Anne (as @MyPersona points out, the kidnapping story would have made great tv!) and Fergie

@happilybemused

This letter to the Telegraph made me 😂

Brilliant! Thanks for sharing that.

" She's had everything her own way all along."

Well presumaby apart from APB being a serial shagger...

@diddl sure why would she care about that when she was off out herself shagging Prince Charles.

@CaptainMyCaptain you are right Diana did a lot of good and really put herself out there to help remove stigma

"sure why would she care about that when she was off out herself shagging Prince Charles."

Maybe APB's cheating led to hers?

Who knows?

@diddl bit of a stretch given they were apparently still having an affair while she was engaged never mind married.

Ok Princess Anne’s marriage, Olympic career, attempted kidnapping, the shot at the Queen
Yes those things could have been included. I think Anne's kidnap attempt was in 1974, though, so that would have been the previous series.

Whatever we think of Diana (I was no fan, thought she was a narcissistic drama queen) however she was a girl of 19 so really in no position to give up her life

[quote Racinglikeapronow]@diddl bit of a stretch given they were apparently still having an affair while she was engaged never mind married.[/quote]
Apparently?

So like me you don't know for sure?

@CaptainMyCaptain

Ok Princess Anne’s marriage, Olympic career, attempted kidnapping, the shot at the Queen Yes those things could have been included. I think Anne's kidnap attempt was in 1974, though, so that would have been the previous series.

It's called The Crown though so more focussed on HM & PC?

I'm disappointed they appear to have hidden William and harry, considering diana was a much more present mother than the queen was.

@Cloudesley

I've watched it all now In the end I agreed with the Queen. Both C and D had enormous privilege and money etc etc and they should have just got on with it.

I like Anne's description of C&D having an age chasm rather than an age gap, and Charles being older than his age and Diana being younger than hers.