What Do I Think of 'The Crown'?

It does not matter to ‘The Crown’ what I think. But I suppose I can still express my thoughts on it. I am not talking here about Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, ‘The Crown’, and the powerful head of the now jaded and faded British Empire. I am talking about the TV series ‘The Crown’ that has been made on her life. In July, I had set a one-month goal to complete watching this Netflix TV series, and I am glad I accomplished it. All the ten episodes - set during 1947-1955, spanning the time of her engagement to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, to the time of her differences with her sister Princess Margaret, over her sister’s love affair with Peter Townsend - are extremely engaging and immensely informative. The TV series covers the period of British Empire under Prime Ministers Clement Attlee, Winston Churchill (during his second term) and Anthony Eden. In the background, we see the diplomatic problems related to the independence of India, ‘the jewel in the crown’ of the British Empire; And also to the times of US President Dwight Eisenhower and Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. We see a few flashbacks. Of her interesting exchanges with her father King George VI, and with her uncle King Edward VIII who abdicated the throne -- to marry the twice divorced Miss Wallis Simpson of USA. The TV series gives us a sneak peek into what could have transpired, behind closed doors, in palaces and parliament buildings. It gives us a keyhole view, into The Crown’s interactions with her family members and with her Prime Ministers. It gives us her innocent misdemeanours, as a novice – she was only 25 when she became the Queen - and also her clever manipulations, as she understands her role as the Queen. It gives us her private struggles and her public triumphs. Not everyone may agree with Peter Morgan, the writer of the series. Some critics say he was not accurate in his portrayal of the world’s most famous royal family. But “They’re still living, and you have to take that stuff really seriously,” he had said in an interview to ‘The Hollywood Reporter’ (THR, 14 August 2017); which goes to show he must have done a good deal of research, before surmising some of these scenes. No wonder this drama is nominated for an Emmy this year. And some are predicting a 'six season' series of ‘The Crown’. It looks like I must now set aside a lot of time, in future, for this. And maybe the TV series makers also must be regreting choosing the story of a monarch, who is the longest reigning in British History! Claire Foy, as ‘The Crown’, did not seem like a good actress at first, but as the series progressed, I began to love her performance. Vennesa Kirby, as Princess Margaret, was beauty and spirit personified. Initially, I felt Sir Winston Churchill was caricatured a bit. But then, I realized that this was set during his later years, when he was very old, and when he refused to let go of his office. The locations, of English countryside and palace interiors, are very beautifully shot. As an Indian, I am angry that India had suffered under ‘The Crown’ of British imperialism. But Britain’s advances in communication and transportation, long before telegraphy, and its administrative effectiveness, across continents, cannot be denied. I write this piece, sitting in a coffee shop in London, near Buckingham Palace, after a visit to some historic places here. And I must say I am awed at the beauty and the grandeur of this place; a place from where the once famous British Empire was run. This TV series shows us how ‘The Crown’ had struggled, how it succeeded at times and failed at times, and how it had affected the politics of far-flung countries across the globe. But, most importantly, it shows us how ‘The Crown’ actually affects the person wearing it.