It emerged that John Profumo, Prime Minister Macmillan's Secretary of State for War, was engaged in a sexual affair with a nineteen-year-old would-be actress and model named Christine Keeler. The rest of the episode is massively more difficult to place on the truth scale. Its impressionistic, but its based on as much fact as we can gather.. Season 2 was a very well done season on the whole and as good as the excellent first one. He is also regarded as the man who controversially broke up India separating Muslim Pakistan from the rest of unified India as part of a negotiation deal with the country's leaders. The Crown Season 5 introduces billionaire Mohamed al-Fayed and his son, Dodi. Whether or not the Queen knew that Mountbatten was in such a meeting is unclear, but historian Andrew Lownie writes in his book The Mountbattens: Their Lives & Loves that she was instrumental in dissuading him from engaging in "rank treachery." All of them ambitious men, clever men, brilliant men. Elizabeth retreats to Scotland for the rest of a difficult pregnancy. A confederacy of elected quitters. "It's somewhere you're really livingLiving+.". Honestly, this family is a mess. The Profumo Affair was a sex scandal that rocked the British government in the early 1960s. In short, who knows? This actually happened not totally as depicted, but darn near close. "Moondust" is one of The Crown's better episodes because it uses a real event, the moon landing, to shine a light on the show's interpretation of Prince Philip's internal life. Yet though that might hold true for rumors of Philip's infidelities, it seems that most historians agree that The Crown's decision to create a closer relationship between Philip and Ward than the historical record shows was perhaps a step too far. The repeated line about Mountbatten being the "man who gave away India" is also somewhat true. That gold orb on top of his crown is a ping-pong ball. Keep reading if you want to find out what was real and what was just for show. Prime Minister Macmillan has a man-to-man talk with Profumo. From Princess Margaret and Pete Townsend's romance to Winston Churchill's eager assistant, find out what was real and what was just for show. A salacious government scandal hits close to home for Elizabeth and Philip. The Crown is back and god save the queen. Stephen Ward, who takes his life in this episode, died in August 1963. Margaret did overdose on sleeping pills, but it was after Roddy traveled to Turkey without her and didn't coincide with her divorce from Lord Snowdon in 1978 or with the 1977 Jubilee. False: Churchill's Assistant Venetia Scott and Her Death, Carl Mydans/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty, False-ish: The Great Smog and London's Reaction, True: Queen Elizabeth's Friendship with Porchie, True: Lord Mountbatten's Influence Over Prince Philip. Episode 9: Gilded Age Heiresses. They've either been too old, too ill or too weak. Elizabeth retreats to Scotland for the rest of a difficult pregnancy. Alexis Nedd is a senior entertainment reporter at Mashable. Russell Baker, who would go on to become a famous columnist, wrote the front-page story for the New York Times, describing the papers as of dubious validity., Whether the reports on the Duke of Windsor accurately reflected his thinking at the time, Baker wrote, or whether they were merely . (Philip's silence is surely a sign of more marriage troubles to come on season 2.). (Bustle has reached out to the royal family for comment, but did not receive a response). Lead Stories is a fact checking website debunking viral misinformation on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and other platforms. Here are some tips and tricks to help you find the answer to "Wordle" #681. In a statement to The Guardian, Majors spokesperson said he had not cooperated in any way with The Crown nor had he been approached by them to fact-check any script material in this or any other series., The spokesperson then specifically shut down the veracity of the scene with Prince Charles, saying, There was never any discussion between Sir John and the thenPrince of Wales about any possible abdication of the late Queen Elizabeth IInor was such an improbable and improper subject ever raised by the thenPrince of Wales (or Sir John). Stephen Ward, who also appears as a character in The Crown, was an osteopath and the one who introduced Keeler to Profumo. While it's true the royal family wasn't thrilled at the prospect of Charles marrying Camilla, royal experts find it hard to believe that the Queen Mother and Lord Mountbatten would conspire to keep them apart. According to The Sunday Post, she confessed Churchill was her favorite (And let's be honest, even the life of a royal sometimes needs TV magic to make it more watchable.). . In 1952, Elizabeth announced that her children would use the last name of "Windsor" when needed, although, in 1958, she quietly changed the name to "Mountbatten-Windsor," perhaps a sign that the exclusion of his last name had become a sore spot for Philip. Did that really happen? We might want one in England before long., Local news, weather, sports, events, restaurants and more. In it, we see Princess Margaret taunting the Queen by suggesting Prince Philip was "The Naked Mystery Man Christine Keeler, who engaged in an affair, contributed to the downfall of the Conservative government, high society connections and lavish parties, painted a picture of the Duke of Edinburgh, sacrificing historical accuracy for domestic drama, marriage between Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. The show is correct in depicting the now-debunked rumor that Wilson himself was a Soviet spy, but he was elected Prime Minister in October 1964, seven months after Blunt confessed to MI6 in April. Subscribe to Retropod on Amazon Echo, Google Home or your favorite podcast app. Time period Hitler gave the Nazi salute. In one scene, Philip is shown deciding to attend a weekend party hosted by Ward, in which Keeler (played by Gala Gordon) will be in attendance. Perhaps the decision was motivated by the desire to connect historical events more closely to the central cast, or to create more strife in the marriage between Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. "Olding": Was the Queen's personal art historian Anthony Blunt a Soviet spy? Profumo denies everything and Macmillan tells his wife later that he Hosted by Sabrina Tavernise. March 1963May 1964 16K views, 545 likes, 471 loves, 3K comments, 251 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from EWTN: Starting at 8 a.m. Wait, Did Charles Really Plot to Oust the Queen. By the time Blunt was given up by American agent Michael Straight, he had retired from intelligence and worked in Buckingham Palace as Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures. Our fact checks are used by Meta, ByteDance and others. Princess Margaret and Roddy Llewellyn snapped by paparazzi in February 1978. But ultimately, there's only so much research you can do After a time, you just got to crack on and create something for yourself.". Cheers, Prince Harry! Neither Sir John nor Dame Norma [John Majors wife] have discussed the monarchy remotely in these terms. For almost 60 years, my great-great-grandfather Edward the VII was kept waiting in the wings. Episodes Fact-checking The Crown: Jackie Kennedy vs. Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace Cheers, Prince Harry! The trip Margaret takes Roddy on is presumed to be their first, but paparazzi images of Roddy and Margaret didn't appear in the papers until 1976. She often took Roddy on vacations to Les Jolies Eaux, her villa on Mustique, but here's where the episode gets confusing. While the Great Smog was denser and longer-lasting than previous "fogs," the long-term effects of the Great Smog weren't realized until several weeks and even years later as Londoners were already used to bad air quality. Maria Mercedes Lara is the Digital Content Operations Director for PEOPLE, where she oversees content management and editorial workflow for the digital team as well as focus on increasing growth through PEOPLE's newsletters, homepage and notification audiences. While the increased attention given to Scott on season 1's "Act of God" episode would leave you to believe that she and Churchill (John Lithgow) were going to develop a passionate affair, that is quickly cut short as Scott is killed by a bus during the Great Smog of 1952 (more on that later). British audiences might be more familiar with the famous scandal than American audiences, so here's why this fictionalization is so provocative. In the case of the Nazis, viewers have had plenty to Google. The only firm evidence which they provide is of what the Germans were trying to do in the matter, and of how completely they failed to do it.. Im sure many people wanted the Iron Lady to go on forever. Secondly, Prince Charles' assignment abroad with the Navy was a done deal and not something Lord Mountbatten could have meddled with he even broke up with Camilla before taking the trip since he knew it was coming up. The chemical engineer in charge of electroforming the gold for the Prince of Wales' new coronet broke the orb a few weeks before the ceremony and improvised a new one after watching some people play table tennis. We fact-check season 4 of The Crown (All true.) This subreddit is a place to discuss the series and more that relate to the topic. Episode 01: Marie Antoinette. Episode 8 The Mrs. Astor. On a totally unrelated note: See the coronet Prince Charles is putting on his head in the photo above? Like her uncle, she was given the option to give up royal life (and her royal income and titles) if she still wanted to marry Townsend, but she instead chose to end things, a fact Townsend later referred to in his 1978 autobiography Time and Chance. It would have been so good for everybody.Youre coming to Balmoral for the Ghillies Ball?John Major: Yes, very much looking forward to it.Prince Charles: Well then, youll have an opportunity to judge for yourself whether this institution that we all care about so deeply is in safe hands.. The copyright on the Duke's personal writing and correspondence expires in 2042 so see you then, I guess. Some of the seasons biggest moments are ripped straight from headlines and history books, but since real life is sometimes less coherent than TV it's forgivable that The Crown would bend time, space, and occasionally the truth in the name of making better entertainment. An international fight over them dragged on for more than a decade. Elizabeth retreats to Scotland for the rest of a difficult pregnancy. TL;DR: We see Prince Charles call a meeting with new prime minister Major to discuss a poll in the Sunday Times about whether Queen Elizabeth II should abdicate. Not exactly. Truly, who knows what kind of conversations Prince Charles and Major had behind closed doors, but thiscertainly wasnt one of them. Did he really suggest more German bombing of Britain might end World War II? The coal tip collapse at Aberfan was a tragedy that took the lives of 28 adults and 116 children in October 1966. As you will know, discussions between the monarch and prime minister are entirely private andfor Sir Johnwill always remain so.They are fiction, pure and simple., The statement then took a turn for the slightly salty, with the spokesperson calling The Crown damaging and malicious fiction and a barrel-load of nonsense peddled for no other reason than to provide maximumand entirely falsedramatic impact., Meet the Laziest, Easiest Acne Routine Youll Ever Try. Mystery Man; Fact Check: Georgia High School Did NOT Teach Students To Create Real 'Cannibalism' Business Plan -- It Was A Lesson In Satire For At its center was a cabaret dancer and model named Christine Keeler, who engaged in an affair with then-Secretary of State for War John Profumo, who was a rising star in the government of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, per The New York Times. "Cri de Cour" features a four year time jump that is barely acknowledged in the episode. Credit: Courtesy of Sophie Mutevelian / Netflix. . (Rumors, never proved definitively. But the last time a British royal married an American, it didnt go well. The Great Smog also influenced environmental legislation, including the Clean Air Acts of 1956 and 1968, which led to a reduction in air pollution. It was said Queen Victoria had no confidence in him; thought him dangerous, free-thinking. The Cross of Lorraine ( Croix de Lorraine in French) is a double-barred cross that is featured prominently in the coat of arms of the Dukes of Lorraine. When visiting England after the death of George VI, the duke called the two Elizabeths and Queen Mary "ice-veined bitches" after he discovered that his personal allowance was being cut off. Maria currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and two children. Credit: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images. Episode 4: Abigail Adams. Mountbatten was close to Elizabeth's dad, King George VI (Jared Harris), and engineered the first meeting between then-princess Elizabeth and Philip when the royal family toured the Royal Naval College in 1939. 2 The following year, knowledge of an affair between Secretary of State for War John Profumo and model Christine Keeler, who is believed to have simultaneously been involved with Soviet military attach Captain Yevgeny Ivanov, becomes public. But the last time a British royal married an American, it didnt go well. As Ward is charged with immorality offences and brought to trial, the press speculates about the identity of a "mystery man" seen in a photograph taken at one of Ward's parties, with Margaret and Tony noticing the man's similarities to Philip. Lord Snowdon didn't publish a book of photography in 1965, but at that point in their marriage the royal couple had plenty of other things to argue about, like Tony's constant affairs. Google wants you to listen to coral reefs. "The Crown" Mystery Man subtitles. Much as "Bubbikins" shows, the documentary was an attempt to humanize the royal family in the eyes of the public, and while three-quarters of British people viewed it live, the Queen absolutely hated it. What is sargassum? AKA: The Crown, . In its prime, Seasons 1-2, 'The Crown' was absolutely fantastic and one of Netflix's best, and contrary to what has been said elsewhere it still has moments of real brilliance. The men figure out they know some people in common, and Ward talks about the house parties he throws. Written by When McMillan and his wife are having tea at 10 Downing Was the duke a Nazi sympathizer? RELATED VIDEO: Five Things to Know About the Royal Family's Jewels. The idea that Lord Mountbatten was asked to join and lead a coup against PM Harold Wilson floated around for years, but some still consider it to be one of many conspiracy theories surrounding Wilson's two terms (see above, where some people wrongfully thought he was a Soviet spy). Upon the publication of the documents, Buckingham Palace issued a statement saying that His Royal Highness never wavered in his loyalty to the British cause, adding: The German records are necessarily a much tainted source. In late October of 1937, Adolf Hitler welcomed a rather well-known couple to his mountain retreat for a cup of tea. "I doubt Prince Philip ever spoke those words to his wife because he came from a royal house which had borrowed so much of its ritual and protocol from the British Royal Family," expert Christopher Wilson told the Daily Mail, referring to the tense scene on the Crown. Philip admits to knowing Ward, denies attending any of his parties, and reaffirms his love and support for Elizabeth. Is that In reality, the pair were actually quite close. Eh, not really. Sometimes even the best historical dramas stretch the truth. 'The Crown' Implies Prince Philip There's no evidence that he had a secret handwritten speech ready to swap out if he felt the need to subtly endorse Welsh independence, and furthermore the latter half of Charles' speech was delivered in English. Whether or not the Prince was a huge ass to Woods before they became friends is unknown. By signing up to the Mashable newsletter you agree to receive electronic communications