Historical Reasons To Watch Netflix’s ‘The Crown’

(Queen Elizabeth II portrait from 1959, courtesy of the arciives of Canada, via Creative Commons 2.0 (CC 2.0))

If you have any interest in drama, history, government or British politics, the Netflix series, ‘The Crown’ should be well to your liking. The show is about the transition to power of Queen Elizabeth II, and all the internal and external political maneuverings brought about by the succession of a new queen. It also explores the emotional and personal toll Queen Elizabeth suffered in her family life once she assumed the mantle of monarch.  Should you, by chance, need more persuasion, here is a long list of the types of interesting historical content that can be found in the show:

Historical Topics of ‘The Crown’

• Abdication of the throne by King Edward VIII

• Winston Churchill’s post-WWII career

• Lung cancer and death of King George VI.

• Elizabeth’s marriage to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh
• Dissatisfaction among British nobility for the marriage
• Marital complications between Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip

• Televised coronation of Queen Elizabeth

• Commonwealth tours taken by Queen Elizabeth

• Queen Elizabeth’s education for the throne, including mentoring from her father (George VI), Winston Church and even her uncle Edward VIII

• Deadly smog of 1952

• Independence movement in Egypt, the fall of King Farouk I and the rise of Gamal Abdel Nasser

• Princess Margaret (Queen Elizabeth’s sister)
• Sisterly rivalry between the queen and the princess
• Princess Margaret’s inability to marry Captain Peter Townsend
• Sisterly drama caused by the forbidden marriage

• Cold War

• Nuclear arms race

• General/President Eisenhower of the United States

• Graham Sutherland's portrait of the 80 year old Winston Churchill, and its destruction.