Everything The Crown Gets Wrong About The True Story

The first two seasons starred Vanessa Kirby as a young Princess Margaret and detailed her struggle with her love life. She has a secret affair with Group Captain Peter Townsend, who used to work for her father. After Townsend's divorce, he and the Princess share their intention to marry. The reaction to the couple's plans is explosive because of Townsend's status as a divorced man, with the Queen shocked and parliament threatening the Princess with exile. 

In the show, as head of church and state, the Queen must come to a decision. Initially, she wants to support Margaret and gives the Princess her word. However, she cannot keep her promise, which results in a heartbroken Margaret. It ends with the Queen putting the Crown before her family.

The real-life story behind this plot line went down quite differently. The Queen wanted her sister to marry Townsend and even drew up an agreement with the Prime Minister allowing Margaret to keep her titles and perform her duties, as documented in papers from The National Archive. The only thing she would have given up is her rights of succession and her future children's. If you do not quite believe it yet, the Queen's perspective was also detailed in a letter from Anthony Eden to the other leaders of the commonwealth: "Her Majesty would not wish to stand in the way of her sister's happiness." This greatly contrasts the slightly icy reaction from the Queen in "The Crown." 

In both the show and reality, this saga ended with a twist: Princess Margaret decided not to marry Townsend, despite the agreement. An unexpected ending indeed.

Early in Season 3 of "The Crown," viewers see the relationship between the UK and USA falter, with President Lyndon B. Johnson appearing indifferent to royal matters and the special relationship between the countries. In the show, an older Queen Elizabeth (now portrayed by Olivia Colman) extends an invitation for the President to visit the palace, which goes ignored. Princess Margaret (now played by Helena Bonham-Carter) happens to be embarking on a long trip around the United States with her husband, Lord Snowdon. How convenient. The Queen arranges for Princess Margaret and her husband to join the President for dinner at the White House. This actually did happen.

In the show, the evening is portrayed as a rowdy affair full of swearing and inappropriate limericks. It marks the reunion of America and England, all thanks to the charms of Princess Margaret. While it has been documented as a very relaxed evening, we unfortunately do not have any proof that the amusing limerick competition occurred. The attendees did, however, dance a lot. According to a Vanity Fair article about that night, Princess Margaret and President Johnson danced together to "Everything's Coming Up Roses," all guests were completely at ease, and the party lasted into the wee hours of the morning. We'll never know the exact truth of this elusive evening, but being a fly on the wall will have been interesting indeed.  

Moving on to more matters of the heart, let's look at the affair that took place between Princess Anne (Erin Doherty) and Andrew Parker-Bowles. And yes, you're recognizing that surname correctly. "The Crown" suggests Princess Anne began a relationship with Andrew Parker-Bowles during his on-again, off-again relationship with his girlfriend Camilla. Of course, Prince Charles is thrown into the mix with his involvement with Camilla, with whom he ultimately fell in love — even during her marriage to Andrew Parker-Bowles. "The Crown" creator Peter Morgan puts these events very close to each other, overlapping and creating a complex crossover involving both Anne and Charles. It makes for a great storyline, but is it real?

The answer is yes and no. Yes, Princess Anne had a short relationship with Andrew Parker-Bowles. The union wasn't built to last; Parker-Bowles was Catholic, which meant Princess Anne couldn't marry him (the Royal Family is strict in its adherence to the Church of England). According to historian Sally Bedell Smith (via Town & Country), "Even when their romance eventually wound down, they remained lifelong friends." 

The timing of the romances in "The Crown" was off, however. Smith does not believe that Princess Anne and Parker Bowles's relationship overlapped with Prince Charles and Camilla's. This is an understandable creative choice from creator Peter Morgan, and the love that viewers watched on "The Crown" was entertaining indeed, albeit not rooted in the entire truth.

As mentioned briefly earlier, the Balmoral Test appears in Season 4, Episode 2 of "The Crown." In the episode, it is a vital initiation for outsiders who wish to spend time with the Royals. Visitors are invited to stay with the Royal family at Balmoral castle in Scotland, partaking in dinners, social events, and hunting, among other activities. In "The Crown," the first test victim is Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson). The awkward, tense episode documents Thatcher making several mistakes, including dressing for dinner too early (shocker!) and struggling to get involved with the Royal party games. The general consensus is that Thatcher failed the test and was subject to slight rudeness from the Royals, leading to embarrassment and an eventual early exit.

The Balmoral Test is real, though members of the Royal family are unlikely to call it such. It is more likely a term used by outsiders for this potentially grueling initiation ceremony. Thatcher did indeed hate visiting Balmoral, which, as outlined in an article from The Guardian, she called "purgatory." As for the other visitor seen in "The Crown," Diana: meeting your boyfriend's parents is daunting enough, but when his mother is The Queen and you have to spend a whole weekend with her at a remote Scottish castle, that's downright terrifying. Was it as scary as it seems? We'll never quite know. However, in an article from Bazaar, Royal Editor Omid Scobie said: "despite all the talk of it being a 'test,' the Queen is also at her most laid back during summers at Balmoral. Her Majesty will always goes out of her way to make every guest feel welcome and at home." 

Season 4, Episode 5 of "The Crown" focuses on a non-Royal. We are introduced to local Michael Fagan, a down-on-his-luck man who's separating from his wife and losing custody of his children. He's also been hit hard by Britain's economic crisis and is struggling to get work to pay the bills. Fagan is angry at the government in general and Margaret Thatcher in particular. This leads him to make an odd decision: he breaks into Buckingham Palace not once, but twice. The first time, he steals a bottle of wine; the second, he breaks into the Queen's bed chambers. A scared Queen Elizabeth attempts to call for help, but is silenced by Fagan, who just wants to talk to her. He tells her about his problems regarding the political and economical climate of the UK in an attempt to motivate her to make changes. He is then taken away by security. It makes for an excellent episode to frame the unemployment problem that was rampant in the UK at the time. 

However, the reality is a little less poignant. Michael Fagan did indeed illegally enter the palace on two separate occasions. According to The Independent, on the first visit, he "tried out several of the thrones and ultimately decided to leave after no one came to find him." Ultimately, Fagan's reasoning for the break-ins was not overtly political. On the second visit, he met the Queen in her bedroom. News reports at the time said The Queen spoke to him at length, stalling until her guards arrived, but Fagan disputes this, saying their encounter was brief, so "The Crown" may not be accurate in this regard. Further into the interview with The Independent, Fagan comments, "I don't know why I did it, something just got into my head." He also placed some blame on taking too many magic mushrooms a few months prior and still feeling the effects, a detail "The Crown" does not include.