Top 10 Characters from The Crown We Wish Got More Screen Time
#10: King George V & Queen Mary
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As interesting as it’s been to watch as “The Crown” catches up with the present day, some of the best storylines in the show have been in earlier periods less dissected by modern media. And in season five we are treated to a brief look at one of the British monarchy’s earliest 20th Century inflection points. George and Mary helmed the United Kingdom through World War I, and are largely credited with preserving the British monarchy while anti-royalist sentiment across Europe deposed many of their relatives. The show briefly focuses on their decision to deny sanctuary to their unpopular Romanov cousins, but it was just one episode in the political minefield the pair navigated. Spin off anyone?
#9: Prince Edward
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Just like Elizabeth, the audience doesn’t spend hardly any time with her youngest son, Edward. At first glance the young royal seems like an arrogant brat. We soon learn that Edward’s bravado is a mask he wears in response to being tormented at school. It doesn’t make him entirely likable, but it does create a duality in his character that makes us curious to see more. We know Edward will eventually become one of the better adjusted members of his family. So seeing the emotional growth that gets him there could be interesting. Then again, maybe we just want more of Angus Imrie. As Edward he delivered an assessment of Charles’ attitude that was one of the best line reads of the fourth season.
#8: John Armstrong
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“The Crown” has showcased several journalists with critical opinions of the royals. But Colin Morgan’s John Armstrong feels like he could fill a unique niche on the show. The “Guardian” writer appears in the third season episode “Bubbikins,” representing the changing attitudes of the late 1960s, and the growing opposition to the unexamined privilege afforded to the Royal Family. Considering that the entire third season of “The Crown” is themed around the upheaval of the status quo, Armstrong could have been a great throughline, provoking and commenting on the monarchy across the season. The character’s Irish origins also could have provided a means to examine the Troubles of Northern Ireland, a major thirty year conflict which started in the late ‘60s and was largely glossed over by the show.
#7: Princess Alice
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The royal family is extensive, and we know we can’t give a detailed backstory to ALL of them. But a chain smoking nun with a seriously impressive jewelry collection? Tell us that doesn’t grab your attention. Phillip’s mother Princess Alice briefly featured in “The Crown”’s first episode, where she is a source of discomfort for the Windsors. However, when she catches the interest of John Armstrong in season three, we get a tantalizing glimpse at the intriguing story behind Alice’s eccentricity. The royal lived a rollercoaster of a life marked by an impressive resilience in the midst of repeated hardship and heartbreak. Phillip’s flashbacks offer a hint of her journey, but we’d rather see more of it played out from the Princess’ perspective.
#6: Lady Sarah Spencer
We’ve all had relationships that don’t work out. But can you imagine your ex turning around and getting engaged to your younger sibling? Charles briefly dated Sarah Spencer in the late 1970s. While the relationship was over by the time he approached the teenage Diana, we’re left to wonder how the older sister might have felt about all this. “The Crown”’s Isobel Eadie gives an impressively subtle performance as she plays Sarah’s awkward phone call with Charles, showing shades of confusion and jealousy. But we wish we’d at least had a scene between the sisters to examine this strange situation more thoroughly. Anyone in Sarah’s shoes would have some complicated feelings to sort through, and there’s no denying the dramatic potential there.
#5: Roddy Llewellyn
Margaret’s tempestuous marriage to Anthony Armstrong-Jones plays out in passionate and painful detail over multiple episodes of “The Crown.” But far less time is given to her relationship with Roddy Llewellyn. When Margaret begins seeing the younger man it seems like a somewhat brief fling designed to make Anthony jealous. In reality, Roddy and Margaret enjoyed an eight year relationship. Though they were exposed in the tabloids in 1976, the incident proved to be a blip in what was reportedly a very happy period in Margaret’s life otherwise. The character endures so much misery over the course of the show. It would have been nice to see her in a stable, loving relationship, at least for one season.
#4: Venetia Scott
Winston Churchill was a momentous figure in British history, but he’s not exactly the sort of guy you imagine women swooning over. He’s not off-putting to his young Secretary Venetia Scott. Quite the opposite. After reading his autobiography, she seems all the more impressed by her boss, and even a little smitten with him. We would never want to see Winston cheat on his stalwart wife, Clementine. But it would have been interesting to see him take on a mentor role towards Venetia. It would have given him a softer layer to explore, and opened up potential storylines about a woman pursuing a government career in an era where that was uncommon. A sort of parallel to Elizabeth’s early experience on the throne. Sadly, Venetia never got the opportunity.
#3: Young Camilla
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Camilla Parker Bowles looms large over contemporary royal history, and her presence is felt on the show accordingly. Yet the young version of the character still comes off feeling like something of a cypher. We see the instant connection between Camilla and Charles clearly. And we know she’s torn between her feelings for him, and her old flame Andrew Parker-Bowles. Camilla goes on to balance relationships with both men for years to come, but we never get under the surface to a deeper understanding of her as a person, or explore her perspective at the center of this complicated situation. Emerald Fennell’s performance only adds to our desire to see more. Her scene opposite Emma Corrin’s Diana might be one of “The Crown”’s all time greatest.
#2: Timothy Laurence
Unless you’re a dedicated royal family historian, you’d never know at the start of season five that the equerry Timothy Laurence is better known today as the second husband of Princess Anne. A royal and a member of the staff, one of them divorced, falling in love? “The Crown” doesn’t ignore the parallels to another royal romance, having Anne reveal the relationship during an episode that revisits the star crossed love of Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend. In both the show, and real life, Anne does indeed fight for her relationship, and prevail. But it feels like a missed opportunity not to explore the dynamic between the couple, or to dig into the factors that allowed them to enjoy the happy ending Margaret was denied.
#1: Young Princess Anne
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When “The Crown” time skipped forward for season three, Erin Doherty became one of the standouts of the new cast for her dry yet nuanced performance as Princess Anne. Unfortunately, her role in the show was largely defined by her place in the love quadrangle with Charles, Camilla, and Andrew Parker Bowles. It’s not as though the biography of the real Princess Anne doesn’t offer plenty of good plot potential, from her time as an Olympic equestrian, to a thwarted abduction in her own car. Yet we rarely got to see her as more than a supporting player in Charles’ story. With such a fantastic actress in the role, we can’t believe “The Crown’ didn’t take the opportunity to spotlight one of the less explored modern royals.
Did we miss one of your royally underrated favorites? Tell us about it in the comments!
