Since it began airing in 2019, Emmy-winning Netflix drama The Crown has given fans a fascinating look into the world of the British royal family, and in particular, the Queen, who has been portrayed by Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and, now, Imelda Staunton.
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However, the show has employed a fair amount of creative license in taking us behind the walls of Buckingham Palace and across the history of the late queen's 70-year reign. Keep reading to read 5 of the moments of the show which really did happen - and five that were entirely made up for TV…
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Prince Philip did break the news to the Queen that her father had passed away
As shown in the early episodes of the series, Prince Philip did indeed learn that King George VI had passed away before the Queen after being told by a local reporter during their tour of Kenya.
Philip was then the one to break to news to his wife during a walk around the grounds. The pair cut their trip short and returned to the UK following the news for her to start her duties as Queen.
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The Queen and Prince Phillip were really caught in a public argument
In the show, Prince Philip and Her Majesty are shown to have a raging argument in which she throws shoes and a tennis racket at him. While this seems a million miles away from the composed couple - it is actually true.
During the couple's 1954 tour of Australia, the queen was spotted chasing Prince Philip out of their bungalow to the stunned silence of a camera crew positioned outside. The royal press secretary requested the film be handed over before the Queen reportedly came out to meet the crew to thank them for the film.
A man really did break into the Queen's bedroom at Buckingham Palace
It was one of the most infamous security breaches in royal history, and one that is still unbelievable 40 years later but in the summer of 1982, Michael Fagan really did manage to break into Buckingham Palace. The unemployed house painter scaled the walls of the royal residence before breaking in and making his way to the Queen's room while she slept, waking her up. As seen in the fourth season of the show, Michael woke the Queen up and the two exchanged few quick words before security arrived.
The queen did have secret cousins in a psychiatric hospital
In season four, the Queen and Princess Margaret are revealed to have secret cousins who were hidden away in mental institutions, Nerissa and Katherine Bowes-Lyon.
The two young girls, who could not speak, were admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Surrey in 1941 by their parents, the Queen Mother's older brother and his wife. As revealed in the episode, they were mistakenly listed as dead in 1963 even though they were still alive.
The Queen did not have to persuade Prince Phillip to kneel to her at the coronation
While in the show, Prince Philip is depicted as being unhappy that he had to kneel to the Queen during her coronation, causing conflict in their marriage, the reality is thought to have been very different.
Previously speaking to Marie Claire, royal expert Christopher Wilson said: "I doubt Prince Philip ever spoke those words to his wife because he came from a royal household which had borrowed so much of it is ritual and protocol form the British Royal Family. He knew full well what was expected of him in public, and was prepared to go along with it."
Prince Philip did not have a relationship with ballerina Galina Ulanova
In season two, Elizabeth finds herself worried after finding a photograph of ballerina Galina Ulanova among Philip's personal things. However, in real life there was no evidence that the Prince was ever in a relationship with the Russian dancer who really did exist.
However, it was rumoured that he was linked to other women over the years, including the Duchess of Abercorn, who told royal author Gyles Brandreth: "It's complicated and at the same time it's quite simple. He needs a playmate and someone to share his intellectual pursuits."
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The Queen didn't prevent Princess Margaret from marrying Peter Townsend
In the Crown's first season, Princess Margaret is shown to be given an impossible choice after her romance with Peter Townsend is made public: Marry him and renounce her royal title or not marry him and keep her position since the Queen refuses to give her consent to the marriage between her sister and the captain, who was divorced.
However, thanks to records released in 2003, it's now been discovered that the Queen and Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden were working on a plan for Margaret to marry and keep her title and position, although she would've needed to give up her right to succeed to the throne. In the end, Margaret called off their relationship a few years later, in 1955.
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