The newest season of The Crown covered more familiar ground, since modern-day royal fans tend to all be pretty aware of the ins and outs of Princess Diana and Prince Charles' doomed marriage. But even though most of us know a lot about the queen of people's hearts, some of the storylines in season 4 of The Crown revealed things about the royal family that were much more obscure. Like, did anyone else know that Prince Charles nearly died in 1988?
The Netflix show has been revealing royal family secrets to viewers since 2016, with each new season covering another chunk of time in Queen Elizabeth's lengthy reign. Throughout the episodes, viewers have learned about royal affairs, murders, secrets, and scandals that we might have been unaware of before the show presented them to audiences.
Even the biggest royal fans have learned a thing or two over the show's four seasons. Here are 20 of the biggest takeaways about the royal family from the series.
The Queen Wouldn't Let Princess Margaret Marry Her True Love
The Queen has to give permission for her immediate family members to get married. Today, it's mostly a formality. But in the 1950s, the Queen exercised her power to prevent her sister, Princess Margaret, from marrying her true love, Peter Townsend. Since Townsend was a divorcé, the Queen said Margaret would have to give up her place in line for the throne to follow through with the marriage. Margaret ultimately chose her duty to her family over love.
Princess Margaret Eventually Cheated on Her Husband
Margaret later married (with approval) Antony Armstrong-Jones in what would turn out to be a tumultuous relationship. They both faced cheating rumors, with Margaret in particular caught vacationing with a man named Roddy Llewellyn who was 17 years younger than her. Eventually the marriage ended in the monarchy's first modern divorce.
Prince Philip May Have Cheated on the Queen
In season 2, The Crown alludes to Prince Philip allegedly having an affair in the late '50s. This has never been confirmed, but several royal experts have their suspicions. For his part, Philip scoffed at the rumors when he was once asked about them. "Have you ever stopped to think that for years, I have never moved anywhere without a policeman accompanying me? So how the hell could I get away with anything like that?" he said.
Edward VIII had Nazi Ties
Another scandal addressed in the second season is Edward VIII's Nazi connections. The former king abdicated his throne to marry the love of his life (a divorced American woman) in 1936. It's really for the best that he didn't stay king, since he ended up being extremely friendly to the Nazi party, even spending time with Hitler.
One of the Queen's Employees Was a Russian Spy
The third season of The Crown recounts the time that a former Soviet spy wound up working for the Queen. Anthony Blunt was the Queen's art curator until it was discovered that he'd spied for the Russians during World War II. When the Queen found out, she stripped Blunt of his knighthood.
Prince Philip's Mom Became a Nun
Prince Philip comes from a royal family of his own, and his mother was Princess Alice of Greece. But the royals were exiled from Greece in 1921, and so Princess Alice found another path — being a nun. In 1949, she sold her leftover royal jewels to found the Christian Sisterhood of Martha and Mary in Athens.
The Royal Family Kind of Made a Reality Show About Their Lives
To give citizens a peek behind the royal curtain, the royal family worked with the BBC to produce a documentary about their everyday lives. It premiered in the 1960s to huge viewership, but the Queen apparently resented showing their private lives and demanded that the documentary never be shown again.
Princess Anne Dated Camilla Parker Bowles' Now Ex-Husband
Before Andrew Parker Bowles married Camilla, he had a fling with Charles' sister, Princess Anne. Imagine if Anne had married him, freeing Camilla up for Charles. The whole Princess Diana tragedy could have been avoided entirely. Although Anne and Andrew didn't continue their relationship, they remained friends. He's even Zara Tindall's godfather.
The Royals Didn't Approve of Camilla
Prince Charles fell in love with Camilla pretty much the moment he met her, but the senior royals reportedly didn't approve of her being the next queen. She had a bit of a reputation for dating around (like when she was seeing Andrew Parker Bowles and Prince Charles at the same time), and back then future queens were supposed to seem virginal. Of course, a lot has changed since then, and the royals seem to approve of the Camilla we know today.
Princess Diana also Had an Affair
It's well-known that Prince Charles cheated on Princess Diana with Camilla, but season 4 of The Crown also explores an extramarital affair of Diana's. Unhappy in her marriage, Diana began seeing Major James Hewitt from 1986 to 1991. And despite the fact that the met two years after Prince Harry's birth, some people have accused James of being Harry's dad.
Prince Charles Almost Died in an Avalanche
Some viewers of The Crown may have been surprised to learn that Prince Charles nearly died in 1988. He was skiing with a ground of friends in the Swiss Alps when an avalanche tore through their run. Charles was miraculously left unharmed, but another member of the party was buried in snow and died.
Prince Philip's Uncle Was Assassinated
Uncle Dickie, as Lord Mountbatten was known, was a bit of a father figure to both Prince Philip and Prince Charles. Sadly, he was killed in 1979 by the Irish Republican Army, who wanted revenge for an event in 1972 where British soldiers killed unarmed Irish protestors. A bomb was placed aboard Dickie's fishing boat, and when it exploded, it killed him, one of his grandsons, a boat worker, and his daughter's mother-in-law.
Charles First Met Diana When She Was Just 16
Lady Diana Spencer was young when she got engaged (just 19 years old), but she was even younger when she and Charles first met. At age 16, she was still a child in school. Meanwhile, Charles was 29. The Crown did a great job of illustrating the vast age difference between the two, especially by having Diana talk about school the first time they met.
Before Diana, Charles Dated Her Sister
Part of the reason Charles did meet Diana at all was because he first dated her older sister, Lady Sarah Spencer. The two were casually seeing one another in 1977, but the romance quickly faded (probably because Charles was hung up on Camilla). Instead, Sarah married Neil McCorquodale in 1980.
Princess Diana Wanted to Cancel Her Wedding
As in season 4 of The Crown, in real life Diana also saw the warning signs early. She learned that Charles and Camilla had given each other gifts right before he was due to wed Diana. Diana reportedly wanted to call off the wedding, but when she discussed the issue with her sisters, they said everything was too far along — Diana's face was already on wedding merchandise like tea towels.
The Royals Allegedly Hid Several Mentally Ill Cousins Away
This was one of the most shocking things fans learned in the most recent Crown season. Several of the Queen's cousins, including Katherine and Nerissa Bowes-Lyon, were locked away in a mental institution for decades and local reporting erroneously stated that they had died. Their existence (and the fact that they were alive) was discovered by the public as well as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in the 1980s, at which point she started to send money to help with their care.
Someone Broke into the Queen's Bedroom While She Was Sleeping
A scary moment in season 4 depicts Michael Fagan breaking into Buckingham Palace and entering the Queen's bedroom as she slept. The series shows the two of them simply talking — Michael wanted to air some of the working man's grievances, but in real life, Michael said that the two never spoke. Instead, the Queen immediately ran for help when she found Michael in her room.
Diana Serenaded Charles With a Public Dance to 'Uptown Girl'
At many times, the events in The Crown seem too wild to be true — but they're usually true. For example, the scene of Princess Diana dancing to "Uptown Girl" during a charity gala to surprise Prince Charles? Yep, that really happened down to the Billy Joel song choice and the slinky silk dress she wore.
Diana Had an Eating Disorder
For anyone who watched Princess Diana's groundbreaking BBC Panorama interview, her bulimia wasn't a surprise. But some younger viewers of The Crown may not have known that Diana struggled with the eating disorder for years. When the princess eventually opened up about it, she helped many people feel comfortable seeking treatment for their own eating disorders.
Prince Andrew Once Dated an American Actress
As season 4 showed, Prince Harry wasn't the first royal to date an American actress. Before Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson, he briefly dated Koo Stark. But the romance fell apart after the media caught wind of her role in the film The Awakening of Emily where Koo had participated in a shower scene with another woman.
