The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor, takes an in-depth look at the challenges faced by the British Royal Family over the last 70 years.
Airing this month on ITVX, the five-part documentary uses archive footage and testimony from those who played a key role to offer a fresh take on the ups and downs of the Windsor dynasty.
Here’s everything you need to know about The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor…
The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor — when is the release date?
The series is being released as a box set on ITVX on Thursday, April 20 and we will update here about a US broadcast date when that is announced.
The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor — what is it about?
The documentary looks at the triumphs and tragedies during the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II, from outside threats to conflicts within the family itself.
“It looks at the Queen's in-tray, the decisions she made and how she steered the monarchy as each decade presented different problems,” says the series’ executive producer David Glover.
“It’s amazing to see her learning and adapting over seven decades, to keep the monarchy on the road.”
The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor — who appears in the documentary?
The series is narrated by Bridgerton season 1 and Bridgerton season 2 star Adjoa Andoh and features a range of interviewees who each had personal involvement with important royal stories, and they share their insight into what really went on.
These include former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, one-time Head of the British Army General Sir Mike Jackson and even Michael Fagan, who broke into the Queen’s bedroom in Buckingham Palace in 1982.
“We interview the people who were there, the first-hand witnesses to history,” reveals David Glover.
The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor — episode guide
Episode One: Love and Duty
The opening episode examines how the royals have debated whether to put their personal happiness before their allegiance to the crown, and the romantic woes of both Princess Margaret and King Charles III are explored.
“It focuses on the central dilemma of being royal — choosing love or duty,” says producer and director Ella Wright. “For the Queen, her unique challenge was this conflict between her duty to the nation and what her family wanted. We follow the impact on her relationship with Princess Margaret and look at the issues facing the younger royals.”
Episode Two: Threats
The Troubles in Northern Ireland and the attempted kidnapping of Princess Anne come under the spotlight in the second episode, which looks at the challenges of the 1970s.
“It's about the Royal Family under pressure from threats,” reveals Ella. “You've got the Queen facing a dilemma of Prince Charles needing a bride and you've got the other dilemma for the country, the IRA. Those two storylines coalesce with the murder of Lord Mountbatten [Prince Philip’s uncle, who was killed by the IRA in 1979].”
Episode Three: Intruders
The third episode sees how the marriage of Charles and Diana in 1981 brought the Royal Family under even more scrutiny than ever before.
“The royals were under the spotlight,” shares Ella Wright. “There was intense media interest because of Diana, and it's about how the Queen dealt with that. It was a tough decade because of family newcomers and the conflict between being modern and retaining tradition.”
Episode Four: Tomorrow’s People
The fallout from the death of Diana’s death in 1997 is examined along with the shift that occurred prior to the 2005 marriage of Charles and Camilla.
“Diana’s death was when the monarchy was under the most intense threat,” explains David Glover. “But the Queen gave a speech to the nation and turned things around. And the rules she started off her reign with, about not marrying a divorcé, she let go of, so Charles married Camilla.”
Episode Five: Heirs and Spares
The finale highlights how heirs to the throne and their younger siblings have had contrasting experiences as part of the Royal Family.
“This is a family where the succession is known but that comes with its own issues,” reflects David Glover. “With wars, the spare can be sent but the heir can’t, so Harry and Andrew each return as war heroes while their older brothers can’t join in. But treating two brothers differently because of their birth order causes trouble, as we are seeing play out…”
The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor — is there a trailer?
Not yet, but we will post it here as soon as it is released.
