The Crown: Why all the fuss when the facts of what happened still shock as much as the fiction?
Whatever the critics or the Royal Family might think about The Crown, you cannot avoid the fact that the reality of what happened in the 1990s is just as shocking as anything they could have made up.
That is what immediately hit me as I watched season five of the hit TV show.
The soap opera of what played out for the Windsors 30 years ago is still just as unbelievable as any of the fictional events or conversations they made up.
It’s all in there.
The collapse of Prince Charles and Diana’s marriage playing out publicly in such a grotty way through tell-all books and interviews, details of those tapes where Charles said he wanted to be Camilla’s tampon, three of the Queen’s children getting divorced, and discussion of those pictures of the Duchess of York sucking the toes of a lover.
The basics, what we know is true, are a dream for any scriptwriter.
You couldn’t make it up, but it all happened right at the heart of one of Britain’s most important and influential institutions.
Of course, the debate over whether the programme needs a health warning because not everything we see is real is very much alive.
There’s been outrage that such a painful part of the Royal Family’s history should have been made into entertainment, almost pantomime.
I couldn’t help but think how ironic it is that newspapers and commentators who relished the scandal and the implosion of the Royal Family at the time are now so critical of the events being raked over again.
Diana, played by Elizabeth Debicki, in the trailer for the fifth series of The Crown. Pic: Netflix
From the start you have a very clear villain.
Prince Charles is again portrayed as an uncaring cheating husband, but also this time shaped as a man desperate to get his hands on the crown, and setting up a rival court to compete with his mother.
It’s a narrative that couldn’t be put into the minds of the viewers at a more sensitive time as now, in real life, he settles into his life as King.
So far the settling in period has played out very well for him, with the King and his team getting the right balance between respectfully mourning the Queen and setting out his stall on how he wants to reign.
Can a TV programme really sway how people feel about his motives?
Don’t forget season four of The Crown did cause concerns for the palace, as it dragged up the Diana days, bringing that story to a younger demographic.
At the time one journalist who works for US magazines told me how it had played particularly badly with American audiences, making a visit by Charles and Camilla unimaginable.
The appearance of a young Prince William and Prince Harry makes it uncomfortable to watch at times.
Both have now spoken about the trauma of living through their parents’ break up and their mother’s death.
Olivia Williams and Dominic West as Camilla and Prince Charles in The Crown. Pic: Netflix
The hoards of photographers and reporters you’ll see on screen following their every move were real to them, a reminder of why they felt hounded and are now doing everything they can to stop it happening to their families.
At points you can’t help but feel this walk down memory lane is also designed to be a commentary on how the institution is viewed now.
Such as the writers weaving in make-believe monologues from the likes of Charles, Andrew, Margaret and Anne to question the monarchy’s role and the way it functions as they all talk about the constraints of “the system”.
In one scene the actor playing Andrew explains how they’d been excited about Sarah Ferguson marrying into the family, talking about how newcomers “make us look all modern, normal, human”.
But he adds: “No one with any character or spark has a place in the system.”
You could say a less than veiled dig about Meghan and Harry’s experience within “the firm”.
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Of course, all this comes just two months after the Queen’s death.
The programme could not feel more distinct from the glowing tributes that have flowed since she died.
There are moments that reflect on her sense of duty, her influence on the world stage, but you can’t escape that the 1990s was one of the most difficult periods of her reign.
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While it may reflect badly on some of her living relatives, it is more positively a reminder of how remarkable it was that the Queen got things back on track.
During the 2000s she adapted to rebuild the monarchy’s reputation, and leave the overriding legacy of a much-loved monarch who rarely put a foot wrong.
It’s now her son, her other children and grandchildren who must face the added scrutiny that may come from The Crown, and more significantly deal with the other family issues that will undoubtedly come.
Season five of The Crown streams on Netflix from 9 November.
Entertainment
Olivier Awards: US actor says ‘special relationship firmly intact’ despite Trump’s tariffs
British star Lesley Manville and American actor John Lithgow have won the acting categories at this year’s Olivier Awards, which recognise excellence in London theatre.
Lithgow, 79, played Roald Dahl in Giant, which is about the children’s author wondering whether to make a public apology.
While accepting his award he appeared to reference the current controversy over Donald Trump’s second term as US president.
The Conclave star quipped: “It’s not always easy to welcome an American into your midst, and at this particular moment, it’s probably a little more complicated than usual.”
He also told the audience at the Royal Albert Hall that the “special relationship is still firmly intact”, despite Mr Trump imposing tariffs on British exports to the US.
His co-star, English actor Elliot Levey, took best actor in a supporting role.
Giant was also named best new play.
Lesley Manville was best actress. Pic: PA
Manville, 69, was honoured for her performance in the Greek tragedy Oedipus at the Wyndham’s Theatre.
She said she felt “emotional” while accepting her statuette because it was a production she had “felt very strongly about being” in.
Manville, who played Princess Margaret in The Crown, added that she was taking an early flight to Dublin on Monday to do some filming, and would not be getting “much sleep tonight”.
Romola Garai was best actress in a supporting role. Pic: PA
Best actress in a supporting role went to Romola Garai for her performance in The Years, based on a memoir by French writer Annie Ernaux.
Garai, whose film credits include Scoop and Atonement, was nominated in the same category for Giant.
Elliot Levey was best actor in a supporting role. Pic: PA
Dame Imelda Staunton won a fifth Olivier, for best actress in a musical for the London revival of classic musical Hello, Dolly!
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button won best new musical, a best actor musical award for Lark Rise To Candleford actor John Dagleish, and the outstanding musical contribution award.
The annual event was co-hosted by British singer Beverley Knight and Pose star Billy Porter.
Despite The Who’s Quadrophenia being set over 60 years ago, Pete Townshend’s themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.
The album is having a renaissance as Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia A Mod ballet is being brought to life via dance at Sadler’s Wells East, and Sky News has an exclusive first look.
As Townshend puts it, the album he wrote is “perfect” for the stage.
Pete Townshend
“My wife Rachel did the orchestration for me, and as soon as I heard it I said to her it would make a fabulous ballet and we never really let that go,” he tells Sky News.
“Heavy percussion, concussive sequences. They’re explosive moments. They’re also romantic movement moments.”
If you identify with the demographics of Millennial, Gen Y or Gen Z, you might not be familiar with The Who and Mod culture.
But in post-war Britain the Mods were a cultural phenomenon characterised by fashion, music, and of course, scooters. The young rebels were seen as a counter-culture to the establishment and The Who, with Roger Daltry’s lead vocals and Pete Townshend’s writing, were the soundtrack.
Quadrophenia the album is widely regarded as an essay on the British adolescent experience at the time, focusing on the life of fictional protagonist Jimmy – a young Mod struggling with his sanity, self-doubt, and alienation.
Townshend sets the rock opera in 1965 but thinks its themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.
He says: “The phobias and the restrictions and the unwritten laws about how young men should behave. The ground that they broke, that we broke because I was a part of it.
“Men were letting go of [the] wartime-related, uniform-related stance that if I wear this kind of outfit it makes me look like a man.”
Paris Fitzpatrick and Pete Townshend. Pic: Johan Persson
This struggle of modern masculinity and identity appears to be echoing today as manosphere influencers like Andrew Tate, incel culture, and Netflix’s Adolescence make headlines.
For dancer Paris Fitzpatrick, who takes on the lead role of Jimmy, the story resonates.
Paris Fitzpatrick, who takes on the lead role of Jimmy in the ballet
“I think there’s a connection massively and I think there may even be a little more revival in some way,” he tells Sky News.
“I love that myself. I love non-conforming to gender norms and typical masculinity; I think it’s great to challenge things.”
Despite the album being written before he was born, the dancer says he was familiar with the genre already.
“I actually did an art GCSE project about Mods and rockers and Quadrophenia,” he says.
“I think we’ll be able to bring it to new audiences and hopefully, maybe people will be inspired to to learn more about their music and the whole cultural movement of the early 60s.”
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In 1979, the album was adapted into a film directed by Franc Roddam starring Ray Winstone and Sting but Townshend admits because the film missed key points he is “not a big fan”.
“What it turned out to be in the movie was a story about culture, about social scenario and less about really the specifics of mental illness and how that affects young people,” he adds, also complimenting Roddam’s writing for the film.
Perhaps a testament to Pete Townshend’s creativity, Quadrophenia started as an album, was successfully adapted to film and now it will hit the stage as a contemporary ballet.
It appears that over six decades later Mod culture is still cool and their issues still relatable.
Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet will tour to Plymouth Theatre Royal from 28 May to 1 June 2025, Edinburgh Festival Theatre from 10 to 14 June 2025 and the Mayflower, Southampton from 18 to 21 June 2025 before having its official opening at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London on 24 June running to 13 July 2025 and then visiting The Lowry, Salford from 15 to 19 July 2025.
Russell Brand has been charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault between 1999 and 2005.
The Metropolitan Police say the 50-year-old comedian, actor and author has also been charged with one count of oral rape and one count of indecent assault.
The charges relate to four women.
He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 2 May.
Police have said Brand is accused of raping a woman in the Bournemouth area in 1999 and indecently assaulting a woman in the Westminster area of London in 2001.
He is also accused of orally raping and sexually assaulting a woman in Westminster in 2004.
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Ashna Hurynag discusses Russell Brand’s charges
The fourth charge alleges that a woman was sexually assaulted in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.
Police began investigating Brand, from Oxfordshire, in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations.
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The comedian has denied the accusations and said he has “never engaged in non-consensual activity”.
He added in a video on X: “Of course, I am now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”
Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is leading the investigation, said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.
“The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”
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