Top 10 Craziest Stories That Should've Been on The Crown
#10: Taj Mahal Photo
Top 10 Craziest Behind The Scenes Moments From The Mandalorian
Season five of the Netflix original shows the tail end of Charles and Diana’s ill-fated marriage. It covers events from 1991 to 1997, during which time their relationship was especially turbulent. What it doesn’t depict, however, is the story behind a famous picture of Diana from 1992. The photograph shows the people’s princess seated alone in front of the Taj Mahal. Despite the beautiful setting and subject, the image feels a little sorrowful. Charles, who was also in India at the time, attended a different engagement instead of visiting the monument with his wife. The couple ended up separating later that year. More than two decades later, their son William posed for a photo in the same place with his wife, Kate Middleton.
#9: Squidgygate
Members of the British royal family have had their private phone conversations exposed to the public more than once. The show depicts one scandal involving Charles and Camilla, often called “Tampongate,” but leaves out another we would have liked to see. A recording of Diana’s phone call with childhood friend James Gilbey caused a stir when it was exposed in 1992. The conversation itself occurred on December 31st, 1989, before Diana's separation from Charles. The old friends discussed a range of topics, from soap operas to the queen mother to Diana’s fear of being pregnant. Throughout the recording, Gilbey addresses the royal as “Squidgy” or “Squidge” numerous times.
#8: Diana’s Affair with Major James Hewitt
The Crown Season 4 Princess Diana Fashion: Fact or Fiction
The Netflix series downplays a couple of Diana’s romances. But we’re especially shocked more wasn’t included about her five-year long affair with Major James Hewitt. Once a member of the Household Cavalry, Hewitt was acting as her riding instructor when their affair began. Their relationship reportedly lasted from 1986 to 1991, and was officially revealed to the public in the mid-nineties. After it ended, he spoke about it in Anna Pasternak (PASTERnak)’s 1994 book “Princess in Love.” The princess herself admitted to the tryst during her famous BBC interview in 1995, which is depicted in episode eight of season five. The former cavalry officer is seen in the season four episode, “Avalanche,” but the show fails to represent the seriousness of his relationship with Diana.
#7: Diana and Charles’ Tense Trip to South Korea
Plenty of scenes from “The Crown” depict the former Prince and Princess of Wales fighting while on vacation. However, the show fails to include one ill-fated trip in particular which would’ve been interesting to see. In 1992, Charles and Diana traveled to South Korea on what was referred to as “the togetherness tour.” The purpose of the visit was apparently to demonstrate the strength of their marriage to the public. However, it was obvious that by that point, the royals couldn’t stand each other. Photographs from the trip reveal the tension between the two spouses. In the end, the pair’s last attempt at touring as a happy couple was a failure.
#6: Camilla & Diana's Confrontation
Charles, Camilla, and Diana’s love triangle plays a major role in seasons four and five of “The Crown.” However, the show leaves out one event that would have made for great TV. Diana once reportedly confronted Camilla about her affair with Charles at Camilla’s sister’s birthday party in 1989. The current queen consort apparently responded by telling Charles’s then-wife that she had everything she could ever want, before asking her what else she wanted. The people’s princess is said to have replied by saying she wanted her husband. The story has been recounted in numerous separate books, including Andrew Morton’s “Diana: Her True Story.” Although the series depicts Diana recording her experiences for Morton, it doesn’t show her mentioning the confrontation.
#5: Brighton Hotel Explosion
Lasting from the late 1960s to 1998, the Northern Ireland conflict took up a significant portion of Elizabeth II’s reign. That being said, it doesn’t get much attention in the Netflix show. While the 1979 assassination of Louis Mountbatten by the IRA is depicted in episode one of season four, the IRA’s bombing of the Grand Brighton Hotel in 1984 is completely left out. The attack aimed to assassinate then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet, who were attending a Conservative Party convention. Although Thatcher survived, five people lost their lives and over 30 others were hurt. Considering the severity of the event, it would have been interesting to see how the public figures might have handled it in private.
#4: Mark Phillips' Affair
Top 20 Times Mark Hamill's Joker TERRIFIED Us
As the series depicts, the British family is no stranger to affairs and divorces. However, most of the drama surrounding Princess Anne's two marriages are glossed over by the show. Her relationship with Mark Phillips in particular had lots of ups and downs that aren’t included. The two separated in 1989 following intimate correspondence between Anne and Sir Timothy Laurence being reported on by The Sun. In 1991, it was revealed that Phillips had a child born outside of their marriage in 1985. He and Anne divorced soon after in 1992; she and Laurence were married later that year. Although season three imagines the princess’s relationship with Andrew Parker Bowles, seasons four and five fail to comprehensively explore the specifics surrounding her other romantic dramas.
#3: A Prank Phone Call
Top 10 Behind the Scenes Secrets About The Crown
Although season five doesn’t show it, in 1995 the Queen was pranked by Canadian radio host Pierre Brassard. He called Buckingham palace claiming to be then-Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, and had a conversation with Elizabeth II that lasted many minutes. They spoke about an upcoming referendum in Quebec and the monarch’s Halloween activities. At one point, the Queen seemingly asks an adviser for their opinion. They even spoke in French for a bit. While many of the events on this list are scandalous or traumatic, this prank was mostly harmless. The Palace was reportedly annoyed by it, calling it “a waste of the Queen’s time.” However, it revealed her humanity, which is exactly what the Netflix series tries to do.
#2: The Queen Survives Assassination Attempts
Comparing the 3 Performances of Queen Elizabeth II on The Crown
Three reported attempts on Queen Eliabeth II’s life went unacknowledged by the show depicting her reign. The first happened in 1970 while the monarch was in Australia. She and Prince Philip were traveling when the train they were on was nearly derailed by a log on the tracks. Luckily, disaster was avoided. More than a decade later in 1981, two separate assassination attempts were made, both by male teens. The first happened on the 13th of June, when Marcus Sarjeant fired multiple blanks at the queen as she made her way to the Trooping the Colour. Months later in October, she was visiting New Zealand when Christopher John Lewis attempted to take her life.
#1: The Attempt to Take Princess Anne
Top 10 Funniest The Crown Moments
This is one event we thought for sure would be included in season three. When she was 23, the Princess Royal and some of her companions were riding in her car when they were halted on the Mall by a Ford Escort. After exiting the Ford, Ian Ball succeeded in shooting Anne’s chauffeur and her police officer, whose weapon had gotten stuck. He then attempted to take the royal, hoping to get money out of it. But the Queen’s daughter reportedly kept her cool. Two others, Brian McConnell and Police Constable Michael Hills, approached the scene, but Ball fired at them too. In the end, Anne was rescued with help from passer-byer Ron Russell. The culprit was caught, and those hurt during the incident recovered.
