The Crown season 5: Fact vs Fiction for Netflix royal drama
The Crown season 5 tackles the House of Windsor's dramas in the 1990s.
A new season of The Crown has landed on Netflix and as has become customary for the royal drama, it has drawn plenty of criticism for its approach to fictionalising real historic events.
Season 5 received a fair amount of backlash before it aired due to reports it contained a scene in which Charles met with then-Prime Minister John Major to scheme against the Queen, and allusions to a rumoured Prince Philip affair. Major himself blasted it as a “barrel-load of nonsense” ahead of its release.
New cast member Lesley Manville, who plays Princess Margaret in season 5 and who will reprise the role for season 6, recently defended the drama, reaffirming that the show is not a "documentary" and that the story has to be "multi-layered" and ultimately "dramatically interesting" in order to captivate its audience.
But what actually happened and what has been embellished for the Netflix series? Read on to find out what is based on fact and what is based on fiction in the fifth season of The Crown.
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The Crown season 5: Fact vs Fiction for Netflix royal drama
Episode 1: Queen Victoria Syndrome
The first episode of the season sees Queen Elizabeth II embark on a voyage aboard the royal yacht Britannia before she must broach the subject of its expensive repairs with Prime Minister John Major (Jonny Lee Miller).
Meanwhile, Charles, Prince of Wales (Dominic West) goes on an Italian holiday with his wife Diana, Princess of Wales (Elizabeth Debicki) and their children - but there is trouble brewing.
To read more on what is true or not see our pieces below:
- Read More: What really happened on Charles and Diana's Italy trip?
- Read More: Did Charles plot with John Major to oust the Queen?
- Read More: The Crown season 5 brings back Claire Foy for flashback cameo
- Read More: Who plays John Major in The Crown?
- Read More: Who plays Princess Anne in The Crown season 5?
Episode 2: The System
The second episode focuses on two storylines.
The first concerns Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (Jonathan Pryce) and his friendship with Penelope Knatchbull, Lady Romsey (Natascha McElhone), who is grieving the recent loss of her young daughter, Leonora.
Meanwhile, Princess Diana feels increasingly unhappy and isolated and turns to her friend Dr James Colhurst and with his help begins to provide information on her marriage and the state of relations in the royal family to journalist Andrew Morton, prompting the release of a tell-all book.
In the aftermath, Philip and Diana have a stern conversation.
To read more on what is true or not see our pieces below:
- Read More: Who is Penny Knatchbull and who plays her in The Crown?
- Read More: Who was Leonora Knatchbull and who plays her in The Crown?
- Read More: Who is James Colthurst and who plays him in The Crown?
- Read More: Who is Andrew Morton and who plays him in The Crown?
- Read More: Was Princess Diana's phone tapped, and by who?
Episode 3: Mou Mou
The third episode of the season tells the life story of the Egyptian business tycoon Mohamed Al-Fayed, played as a young man by Amir El-Masry and as an older man by Salim Daw.
From his humble beginnings in Alexandria, Egypt, we see the businessman rise to become an influential international businessman with strong ambitions for his family, particularly his son Dodi Fayed (Khalid Abdalla).
Following the death of Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (Lia Williams), Al-Fayed purchases the home of the late Duke of Windsor and is advised in his endeavours to emulate and grow close to the British royal family.
In the process of this, Al-Fayed faces disappointment until he and his son cross paths with Diana, Princess of Wales.
To read more on what is true or not see our pieces below:
- Read More: Mohamed Al-Fayed rise to wealth explained – who plays him in The Crown?
- Read More: Who was Dodi Fayed and who plays him in The Crown?
- Read More: Who was Sydney Johnson? True story of Duke of Windsor’s valet
- Read More: Duchess of Windsor Wallis Simpson's tragic final days explained
- Read More: How did Diana first meet Dodi Fayed and Mohamed Al-Fayed?
Episode 4: Annus Horribilis
The fourth episode of the fifth season is named after the famous speech that the Queen gave in 1992 concerning the troubles that the family faced that year.
The Queen must deal with the collapse of three royal marriages: Anne, Princess Royal gets a divorce; Prince Andrew splits from his wife Sarah, Duchess of York; and Charles, Prince of Wales formally separates from his wife Diana, Princess of Wales.
Amid this emotional strife, a fire breaks out at Windsor Castle, causing the Queen even more pain.
Meanwhile, the Queen's younger sister Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Lesley Manville) is reunited with her first love, Group Captain Peter Townsend (Timothy Dalton), forcing her to confront her past.
To read more on what is true or not see our pieces below:
- Read More: Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend - the true story behind their 'forbidden love'
- Read More: How to listen to Princess Margaret’s Desert Island Discs
- Read More: The Crown stars on filming "significant" clash between Queen and Margaret
- Read More: The Crown: How did Charles and Diana meet? A timeline of their courtship and marriage collapse
- Read More: The Crown: Full timeline of Prince Andrew's relationship with Sarah Ferguson
- Read More: True story behind Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence’s romance
- Read More: Windsor Castle fire - How did it start? And how much did the repairs cost?
- Read More: The Crown season 5 changes Queen's famous Annus Horribilis speech
Episode 5: The Way Ahead
The fifth episode of The Crown season 5 focuses primarily on the newly-separated Charles, Prince of Wales and his efforts to modernise the monarchy and carve out a more influential role for himself.
However, a spanner is thrown in the works when a tape recording of an intimate conversation between the Prince and his married lover Camilla Parker Bowles (Olivia Williams) causes embarrassment for the pair and the royal family as a whole.
In the aftermath, Charles comes out fighting, giving a television interview and taking active steps to build a strong team around him to defy his critics.
- Read More: What was Tampongate as seen in The Crown? Fallout explained
- Read More: Diana’s 'revenge dress' – the true story behind the iconic moment
- Read More: Charles' interview with Jonathan Dimbleby - What was said? And how to watch?
Episode 6: Ipatiev House
In the sixth instalment, the fall of the Soviet Union sees the Queen receive Russian leader Boris Yeltsin at Buckingham Palace before then heading to the Russian Federation for a state visit alongside her husband Prince Philip.
Amid these political changes, the royal couple faced up to their family's own history in Russia as they become involved in the recovery and burial of Tsar Nicholas II and his family, who were murdered at Ipatiev House by the Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg in 1918.
Philip is aided in his research by Penny Knatchbull, forcing the Queen and her husband to consider their ancestors' legacy and also their marriage.
- Read More: Who was Boris Yeltsin and who plays him in The Crown?
- Read More: The truth behind the Romanovs' deaths and burial
Episode 7: No Woman's Land
The seventh episode centres on Princess Diana as she feels increasingly isolated following her eldest son Prince William (Senan West) leaving to study at Eton and her ongoing separation from Charles.
Amid this unhappy state of limbo, Diana is increasingly fearful that her husband and his advisors are taking steps against her.
During this troubled time, BBC journalist Martin Bashir (Prasanna Puwanarajah) manoeuvers to obtain an interview for Panorama with the Princess.
Meanwhile, Diana finds fresh hope for happiness when she meets the heart surgeon Dr Hasnat Khan (Humayun Saeed).
- Read More: Who is Martin Bashir and who plays him in The Crown?
- Read More: The Crown star explains why he doesn't question Martin Bashir’s “deceit”
- Read More: Who is Dr Hasnat Khan? True story behind Diana's 'great love'
Episode 8: Gunpowder
The eighth episode focuses on internal politics at the BBC as the possibility of the BBC Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales is raised.
In the end, the director general John Birt agrees to Martin Bashir interviewing the Princess - and he does, with explosive results for the royal family in the media.
Meanwhile, Prince William spends more time with the Queen and is impacted by the airing of the interview.
- Read More: John Birt and Duke Hussey – who plays them in The Crown?
- Read More: Princess Diana’s Panorama interview: What was said and can you watch it?
- Read More: The Crown star responds to backlash over Princess Diana storyline
Episode 9: Couple 31
The penultimate episode of the season sees the Queen request that Charles and Diana officially divorce to give themselves, their family and the country some certainty.
As the divorce begins, relations between the Prince and Princess of Wales prove to be antagonistic, until the Queen requests that Prime Minister John Major intervenes as an intermediary.
Meanwhile, Charles hires a media advisor in the form of Mark Bolland to help the Prince's partner Camilla navigate the public sphere and help them to plan a future together.
Elsewhere, Diana finds herself increasingly isolated following her split from Dr Khan and contemplates her own future.
Finally, Charles and Diana share a very honest discussion about their marriage that also sees some uncomfortable opinions aired.
Episode 10: Decommissioned
In the season finale, John Major loses the general election in 1997 to Labour leader Tony Blair (Bertie Carvel) who wins by a landslide.
In response, the Queen says farewell to one PM and welcomes another, but faces some of Mr Blair's policies that are difficult for her - namely the decommissioning of the royal yacht Britannia.
For its last journey, Charles travels aboard the yacht to Hong Kong for the transfer of sovereignty and enjoys a holiday with Camilla before having a frank discussion with the new PM.
Meanwhile, Princess Diana continues to feel isolated before agreeing to join Mohamed Al-Fayed's family on holiday in St. Tropez - where she will be reunited with the now-engaged Dodi Fayed.
To read more on what is true or not see our pieces below:
- Read More: The Crown season 5 cast: Full list of actors and characters
- Read More: The Crown season 5 timeline – what events does it cover?
- Read More: The Crown season 5 soundtrack: What songs are in the series?
- Read More: Does The Crown season 5 portray Princess Diana’s death?
- Read More: Who was Dodi Fayed's girlfriend and who plays her in The Crown?
- Read More: Who plays Tony Blair in The Crown?
- Read More: Who plays Cherie Blair in The Crown?
- Read More: The Crown season 6: Release date speculation, cast, timeline and latest news
The Crown seasons 1 to 5 are available now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Looking for something else to watch? Visit our TV Guide or Streaming Guide.
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Authors
Lewis Knight is the Trends Editor for Radio Times, covering trending titles from TV, Film and more. He previously worked at The Mirror in TV, Film, and Showbiz coverage alongside work on SEO. Alongside his past work in advertising, he possesses a BSc in Psychology and an MA in Film Studies.
