They're one of the most famous families on Earth, but the Royal Family will always remain somewhat mysterious - and that is one of the reasons why Peter Morgan's hit show The Crown is so compelling.
For five seasons, the creators of the lavish drama have offered a tantalising peek behind the curtains at Buckingham Palace, offering fictionalised retellings of the events behind the headlines.
The show has of course included plenty of storylines about King Charles III, from his schooldays at a Scottish boarding school to his complicated love life as a divorced father of two.
Ahead of The Coronation tomorrow, fans will no doubt be curious as to what is fact and what is fiction. Although we can only guess at some events, the Netflix series does indeed draw from some key moments in the new King's life.
Horrific bullying at Gordonstoun School
In the second season of The Crown, we see young Charles shipped off to the tough, athletics-focused Gordonstoun School in Moray, Scotland, where his father Prince Philip had found solace in harsh physical labour following the death of his beloved sister.
This choice of school becomes a point of contention between the Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II, who recognises early on that her son's shy, sensitive nature is ill-suited to the rigorously sporty, remote institution.
Poor Charles is shown to suffer terribly during his time in the chilly Gordonstoun dormitories, subjected to bullying all while struggling with the outdoorsy pursuits that had thrilled Philip as a teen.
Sadly, it would appear that Charles' schooldays may well have been unhappy, evidenced in his widely reported description of the school as "Colditz in kilts".
In a letter home penned in 1963, Charles wrote: "The people in my dormitory are foul. Goodness, they are horrid. I don't know how anybody could be so foul."
Appearing on the Royally Us podcast last year, Christopher Anderson, author of 'The King: The Life of Charles III', claimed: "These are some deep psychological wounds. One of his classmates said that it is a miracle that Charles survived with his sanity intact… after all of these episodes, which were just sadistic."
Studying Welsh in Wales
In season three of The Crown, the then-Prince Charles heads to Aberystwyth University to study Welsh under the tutorage of Dr. Edward "Tedi" Millward.
Underlying tensions between England and Wales are illustrated through Millward's initial reluctance to teach the young prince, regarding his upcoming investiture as the Prince of Wales as being everything he stands against.
Welsh nationalist Millward slowly warms to his royal student, however, who eventually begins to apply himself, and delivers an investiture speech focused on Welsh identity.
Charles did indeed study Welsh at Aberystwyth for a term ahead of his investiture, and although his speech differed significantly from the one in the show, some believed it showed how Charles had taken on board some of Millward's nationalist views.
Reflecting on his time teaching the student prince in a 2015 article in The Guardian, Millward recalled: "He was eager, and did a lot of talking. By the end, his accent was quite good. Toward the end of his term, he said good morning – 'Bore da' – to a woman at college; she turned to him and said: 'I don't speak Welsh!'"
He continued: "His presence caused a bit of a stir. Crowds would gather outside the college as he drove up in his sports car."
When Millward passed away in 2020, the now King spoke with great affection about his old teacher, stating: "After all these years, I am forever grateful to him for helping foster my deep and abiding love for Wales, her people, and her culture."
Charles' first meeting with Princess Diana
In the fourth season, fans were thrilled to see the first appearance of Princess Diana, seen as a young teenager clad in a "mad tree" costume for her school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
In this fictionalised introduction, Diana's older sister Sarah Spencer - who was dating Charles at the time - had firmly instructed her to stay out of sight during the royal visit at their family home, and the future princess begs him not to say anything.
The then prince agrees, but quickly back on his word, prompting Sarah to sigh, "She was obsessed with the idea of meeting you."
Charles and Diana did indeed meet at the Spencer family seat of Althorp in 1977 when he was 29 and she was just 16, however, it doesn't appear that their real-life encounter was quite as Shakesperean.
The now King had been invited over to the historic estate for a shooting party, and during a 1981 interview with The Telegraph, Diana recalled how they'd actually met "in a plowed field".
Recalling his first impressions of Diana in the same interview, Charles said: "I remember thinking what a very jolly and amusing and attractive 16-year-old she was. I mean, great fun, and bouncy and full of life and everything."
Plot to usurp the Queen
In season five of The Crown, fans were stunned to see the then-Prince Charles appear to mull over the possibility of ousting his mother Queen Elizabeth during a meeting with Prime Minister Sir John Major.
This supposed chat happened after the results of an opinion poll suggested the British public was in favour of the Queen stepping down and letting her eldest son take up the throne.
After the shocking episode aired, Major's office released the following statement: "Sir John has not co-operated in any way with The Crown. Nor has he ever been approached by them to fact-check any script material in this or any other series.
"As you will know, discussions between the monarch and prime minister are entirely private and – for Sir John – will always remain so. But not one of the scenes you depict are accurate in any way whatsoever. They are fiction, pure and simple."
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