What The Crown Got Wrong About King Charles III
Lifestyle - News
By MEG WALTERS
Following Queen Elizabeth II's death, Netflix subscribers are binging the platform's historical drama "The Crown," which follows the earlier years of the queen's reign. The show is impeccably written and produced, but also dramatizes real-life events and figures; here are the differences between the King Charles III you see on "The Crown" and the king in real life.
The king and queen
Season 2 of "The Crown" introduces the shy and quiet Prince Charles, whose timidity is met with harshness from his parents; in one scene, Prince Philip yells at the scared boy, "Stop being so bloody weak!". It's unlikely that Charles' parents were actually this cruel; they were likely more busy, distant, and inattentive than anything.
boarding school
Later in the show, young Charles is sent off to his father's old boarding school and is ruthlessly bullied. The real-life Charles once said of his peers, "I don't know how anybody could be so foul," but has also said he was fond of his old school and "it taught me a great deal about myself" — either hindsight is 20-20, or he didn't hate it that much.
Charles and Camilla
In "The Crown," Lord Mountbatten and the Queen Mother plot to separate Charles from Camilla, and Charles receives a dissuading letter from Mountbatten. Historian Caroyln Harris says that in real life, Mountbatten pulled the prince aside to talk about the situation, instead of plotting and writing a dramatic letter.
his personality
Royal expert Hugo Vickers says "The Crown" portraying Charles as "a very angry, unpleasant person yelling at his wife" is "disgraceful," while former royal butler Grant Harrold adds that he never once saw Charles raise his voice. However, ex-butler Paul Burrell says Josh O'Connor's portrayal of a cold, uncaring Charles is accurate.
diana's sister
"The Crown" shows Charles' brief real-life relationship with Sarah Spencer, Princess Diana's sister, but left out a cringeworthy detail. According to "Diana: Finally, the Complete Story," Sarah and Charles broke up after Sarah told Woman's Own that she wouldn't marry Charles "if he were the dustman or the King of England."