Over-Analyzing The Crown: S3E9 Imbroglio
A scene in The Crown set after the Duke of Windsor’s funeral.
All My Posts on The Crown
S3: 1 & 2: “Olding” & “Margaretology” 3: “Aberfan” 4: “Bubbikins, 5: “Coup” 6: “Tywysog Cymru” 7: “Moondust" 8: “Dangling Man” 9: “Imbroglio” 10: “Cri de Coeur”
S4: 1: “Gold Stick” 2: “The Balmoral Test” 3: “Fairytale” ( + Cinderella References) 4: “Favourites” 5: “Fagan” 6: “Terra Nullius” 7: ”The Hereditary Principle” 8: “48:1” 9: “Avalanche”
The Medals, Sashes, and Tiaras of The Crown; Tiaras/Crowns Overviews: Season 1 ; Season 2
The Duke of Windsor’s funeral takes place. New Prime Minister Edward Heath handles a labor dispute with the coal miners badly and the country (including the palace) has to deal with ongoing brief blackouts, which eventually result in a three-day work week and significant hardship. After realizing how serious Prince Charles is about Camilla Shand, the Queen Mother and Lord Mountbatten plot to get Charles sent off to a Naval posting far away and to get Camilla married off.
The episode starts off with the Duke of Windsor’s funeral. The Queen’s and Wallis Simpson’s outfits at the funeral seem very similar to what they wore in real life.
It’s so sad later when Charles reflects later that he felt like he had become the new Duke of Windsor, the new outsider in the family.Is this new Prime Minister always wearing black and white? It seems like he really is always wearing the colors of the piano, his beloved instrument.
“My father is a builder.” Heath’s comment here to the coal miners hearkens back to Harold Wilson’s comment about how he makes out that he’s a common man but actually, he has higher brow tastes and comes from a privileged background.
I like how they Illustrate the power cutbacks at the castle by showing the butlers lighting candles.
The real life Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, and Queen Elizabeth, at the Duke of Windsor’s funeral (Credit: Bettmann / Getty).
Queen Elizabeth and the Duchess of Windsor at the Duke of Windsor’s funeral in The Crown.
Charles says he’s going to need dickie’s help wih the family because he so trusts that he will be on his side. AND THEN HE ISN’T, you suck mountbatten. He later says: “you don’t love a girl like Camilla shand. She’s a bit of fun and a welcome distraction from the rigors of the navy. The first few months can be pretty tough.” [GAH, ANGER]
After Charles gets his posting abroad, he runs back to the castle to talk to his mother immediately, thinking that this is definitely her fault. Interestingly enough, she doesn’t work very hard to disabuse him of this notion, but merely lets him yell at her and then calls for the true culprits.
When Charles is trying to get to his mother, all the butlers and staff are suddenly in his way and keep saying “excuse me,” three times. It’s like he’s already just very in the way and out of place in his own home.How did Queen Elizabeth IMMEDIATELY figure out that it was the Queen mother and Lord Mountbatten who are interfering with Charles’ relationship? I love that in this one scene, both queens are wearing coats insid. But the lamps are on? Are they trying to lower their electricity use? What is going on here?
“We’ve learnt that lesson time and time again,” they say, about the importance of not letting a royal get permanently romantically involved with the wrong person.ALL THE BUTLERS STANDING AROUND WITH LAMPS. This is the most delightful and ridiculous picture. Anne is iconic, as usual, with her gorgeous “Starman” driving entrance, which then transitions to her walking down the hallway of Buckingham palace singing with staff following her and carrying candles.
Her reaction to seeing her entire family sitting there in the dark waiting for her is also classic. “God what’s all this?”
Philip knows that this is all serious but he can’t help but laugh out loud when in response to a request for calm, Anne just deadpans, “As opposed to how I am usually-hysterical.” And afterward, after she’s thoroughly shocked her mother by noting that she had “fun” with Andrew Parker Bowles, she notes, “I hope that wasn’t too emotional for you all.”
The real life Prince Charles and Camilla Shand (Credit: Serge Lemoine / Getty).
Prince Charles and Camilla Shand in The Crown.
In one scene (I can’t remember whether it happened in this episode or in the previous one), Charles' sister Princess Anne warns him that if he gets involved with Camilla, there will "always be three people in the relationship". A wise point indeed, considering the ongoing nature of her relationship with Andrew. And the wording of Princess Anne's advice was chosen very carefully and deliberately, and pays homage to Princess Diana, who famously described Camilla as "the third person" in her relationship with Prince Charles.
The Queen and the Queen Mother wear a lot of yellow and tan colors in this episode. Possibly to refer to the candlelight and the blackouts throughout this episode?
I love it when Queen Elizabeth, with great irritation, has to ring a bell to end her meeting with Heath because her buzzer isn’t working due to the blackout.
The real-life Prince Charles while he was stationed in The Bahamas.
Prince Charles in The Crown, immediately after he was moved to his new post in the Bahamas.
Philip: “Are you warming to him yet?”
Queen: “Mr. Heath? I’m not sure there’s anything to warm to.”
Philip: “Give him some time, he’s rusty. You’re the first woman in decades he’s had a meaningful relationship with. It’s what his enemies have always held against him. The fact that he never married. People find it hard to trust a leader without a wife or family.”
Philip then relates the story of the doctor’s daughter that Heath let get away and concludes with: “There you are. When you find the right one, snap em right up. As a central theme, it’s perfect.” He means for the Queen’s speech for their 25 year wedding anniversary. As he points out, “it’s your turn, I made one on the ten year anniversary – mon petit chou.”
This refers to the speech he made in season episode of the Crown. So I didn’t realize this, but “mon petit chou” is probably where Philip’s nickname for the queen, “cabbage,” came from, as this French phrase translates to “my little pastry puff” and “my little cabbage.”
The real life marriage of Andrew Parker Bowles and Camilla Shand.
The marriage of Andrew Parker Bowles and Camilla Shand in The Crown
Charles philosophizing about being on the sea to Camilla on the phone: “Something about the wave, one begins to disappear. And then suddenly, you’re somewhere else entirely. And it’s a feeling I’ve never had before – a sense of safety and belonging and all that loneliness having vanished – and it’s all rather miraculous. I think you are miraculous. Tell me is there any part of all this that’s surprised you?” Camilla: “Of what?” Charles: “Our friendship.” Camilla: “You should ask if there’s any part of this that hasn’t surprised me…. I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you. None of this was supposed to happen. “ (she says this while Andrew Parker Bowles lurks in the background).
In real life, it appears that the royal family had absolutely nothing to do with Charles’ breakup with Camilla. Her relationship with Andrew Parker Bowles was very complicated and on and off; he cheated on her numerous times, but she loved him and wanted to be with him. Their fathers finally worked together to force them to get married, by literally putting an engagement announcement in the newspaper.
Heath’s positioned as a symbol in this episode, with his piano playing run over Queen Elizabeth’s 25th wedding anniversary speech at the end. I’m not entirely certain what the goal is here though, as it is explicitly noted that he is single and has a tragic back story with “a doctor’s daughter,” who waited for him until the end of the war, and then he chickened out of marrying her at the last minute. Perhaps he’s meant to refer to Prince Charles, who has to give up love in this episode and is stationed abroad in the Bahamas.