The Crown has made ‘Margaretologists’ of us all, so it’s no surprise that the second episode of Season Three of The Crown - titled Margaretology and detailing the Princess’s 1965 tour of the United States - is one of the highlights.
***** Spoilers for Season 3, Episode Two of The Crown, ahead *****
The Netflix show sees Margaret (played by Helena Bonham-Carter) finally given some responsibility – and taking to it too, charming the pants of US President Lyndon B. Johnson with a game of raucous limericks, posing for photo shoots in the bath and raising an army of American fans, called Margaretologists.
While the princess’s trip to the White House was a reality (the scenes were filmed at Hylands Park in Chelmsford, Essex – the site of former V Festival), the boast that she single-handedly saved the British economy by securing a US bailout… doesn’t seem to be verifiable.
What we do know is that the British press weren’t impressed with the spending of Princess Margaret and her husband Lord Snowdon, Antony Armstrong-Jones, played by Ben Daniels. The cost of the trip was estimated at around £30,000 (now equivalent to £350,000) of public money. This expenditure, combined with Margaret and Snowdon’s propensity for hanging out with the rich and famous, led to a flurry of critical headlines in the British press, pointing out ‘the insensitive vulgarity of conspicuous expenditure.’ Afterwards, a report from the British ambassador suggested that the royal visitors had ‘worked and played hard,’ but it was a ‘mistake’ that ‘the keynote was the “jet set” and it was not always possible to persuade the public that HRH and Lord Snowdon were serious as well as gay people.’
In fact, so poorly received was the trip that almost a decade later, the new Washington ambassador Lord Cromer vetoed the possibility of the couple returning to the states on another official tour. In a memo from 1973 to the Foreign Office committee, Lees Mayall, then the Vice-Marshal of the Diplomatic Service, nixed the idea, writing, ‘You will remember that Lord Cromer is not at all keen on having the Princess in the United States, possibly for some time to come. This is mainly due to the behavior of some of HRH’s friends, who tend to take such visits lightly.’
Which friends? Perhaps the strangest thing about the episode when it comes to truth vs fiction, is that it doesn’t at all monopolise on many of the raucous stories, populated by A list types, about that US trip that are out there.
Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon traveled to the US on the invitation of Sharman Douglas, daughter of a former US ambassador to Britain, and their schedule of official visits was supplemented by an equally (if not more) rigorous timetable of glamorous social engagements, often mingling with America’s A-list. Never one to stand on ceremony when it didn’t suit her, the Princess reportedly managed to offend half of Hollywood with her barbed remarks, damning Elizabeth Taylor’s diamond engagement ring as ‘vulgar’ and informing Grace Kelly that she ‘didn’t look like a movie star’ (the future Princess of Monaco is said to have replied, ‘Well, I wasn’t born a movie star’). Judy Garland even called her a ‘nasty, rude little Princess,’ hitting back at Margaret’s request to hear her sing with, ‘Tell her I’ll sing if she christens a ship first.'
So, while a trip didn’t occur in 1973 (she instead visited Barbados and Germany instead) she did defy them all and visit the US several times before her death, aged 71.
Oh, and what about the bath pics? Well, they weren't taken as part of their US tour, but they did happen. The pictures of Margaret wearing her wedding tiara in the bath were taken around 1962 by her husband, Lord Snowdon, in their Kensington Palace apartment. They were first seen publicly in 2006 during an exhibition of his work.
Can't wait for season three of The Crown? Here's everything we know so far about the show's upcoming series..
Can't wait for season three of The Crown? Here's everything we know so far about the show's upcoming series...
The Crown S3 - Grazia
1 of 13It’ll start off in the mid-Sixties
Season two closed in 1964, concluding with the birth of Elizabeth and Philip's youngest child, Prince Edward. The show's third round should pick up shortly after, with a storyline that will carry us through Harold Wilson's turbulent tenure as Prime Minister, which saw the UK gripped by economic crises and industrial strikes..
2 of 13The cast will be entirely new
Tearing through a decade or so in just ten episodes, The Crown's characters are ageing at such a rate that the actors playing them just can't keep up. So, in the interests of verisimilitude (prosthetics and CGI trickery can, after all, only go so far) season three will inaugurate a fresh line-up of stars. While we're sad to wave goodbye to Claire Foy, Matt Smith and co, the promise of an entirely new cast is certainly one that'll keep us talking.
3 of 13Olivia Colman is our new Queen
The first of these new cast members to be announced was Olivia Colman, who'll be stepping into the Queen's sturdy patent courts as The Crown moves through the Seventies and beyond. As one of Britain's best-loved (and most versatile) actresses (who this year earned her first Oscar for Best Actress in _The Favourite), s_he'll be joined by Helena Bonham-Carter, who'll embody Princess Margaret in her most turbulent years, while Tobias Menzies will be Matt Smith's replacement as Prince Philip. Newly announced as an addition to the cast is Ben Smith, who will play Anthony Armstrong-Jones opposite Helena's Princess Margaret.
4 of 13We will meet Camilla
There were three people in this marriage, after all: season three will also mark Camilla Parker-Bowles' Crown debut. Charles and Camilla (née Shand) met and fell in love in the early Seventies, when they were part of the same posh countryside set. At the time, neither party was prepared to fully commit: Charles to a woman who didn't quite fit the mould required by the palace, Camilla to a life of royal rules and regulations.
5 of 13Josh O'Connor will play Prince Charles
It's been confirmed that Josh O'Connor, one of this year's nominees for the prestigious EE BAFTA Rising Star award, is set to play a young Prince Charles for seasons three and four (you might recognise from God's Own Country or ITV's The Durrells). In the announcement he said: 'I am thrilled to be joining The Firm for the next instalment of The Crown. Seasons 3 and 4 will follow some of the most turbulent events in the Prince of Wales's life and our national story and I'm excited to be bringing to life the man in the midst of it all. I'm very aware it's a formidably talented family to be joining, but reliably informed I have the ears for the part and will fit right in.'
6 of 13Emerald Fennel will play a young Camilla
Meanwhile Emerald Fennel (Who was previously cast in call the Midwife and is stepping into Phoebe Waller-Bridges shoes as the screenwriter for season two of Killing Eve)has been cast as Camilla Parker-Bowles. Spotted filming new scenes in Pimlico, Central London, where Camilla lived when she first met Charles in 1970, Emerald said:'I absolutely love Camilla and am grateful that my teenage years have well prepared me for playing a chain-smoking serial snogger with a pudding-bowl haircut.'
7 of 13Princess Anne could have some major storylines
He might be the heir to the throne, but it's not all about Prince Charles in season three: writer Peter Morgan has hinted that the Queen's only daughter, Princess Anne, could have some pivotal plotlines, involving her romance with first husband Captain Mark Phillips and the 1974 kidnap attempt outside Buckingham Palace. She'll be played by Erin Doherty, whose sole TV credit to date came in an episode of Call The Midwife last year.
8 of 13Gillian Anderson is cast
Gillian Anderson has been cast as Margaret Thatcher, and will appear in season four. As Thatcher was elected in 1979 following tense political times with IRA bombings and increasing public animosity, her role could come into play at the end of the series, potentially bring a mind-blowing explosive finale.
9 of 13The Queen Mother will be played by Marion Bailey
Best known for her roles in Mr Turner and Vera Drake actress Marion Bailey will be taking over from Victoria Hamilton to take on the role of Queen Mother. Here enthusiasm at joining The Crown cast echoed many of the other new additions. She said: 'It's a brilliant show and we have a tough act to follow but what a gift to be playing the fascinating and greatly loved Queen Mother.'
10 of 13Seasons three and four will be shot back to back
Peter Morgan, the show's creator, recently revealed that the next two seasons will be shot consecutively. 'We're doing them back-to-back. I'm writing them all at the moment,' he told the audience at a BAFTA Masterclass event.
11 of 13Diana won't make an appearance this time around...
After teasing us with hints to the contrary, the show's producers have finally confirmed that we won't be introduced to Lady Diana Spencer in season three (despite the fact that the future Princess of Wales first met her husband-to-be aged just 16, when he was dating her older sister, Sarah) Whichever actress lands the coveted role will go on to take centre stage in season four, as the show starts to document her tumultuous marriage to Prince Charles; there are also rumours that the star could stay on into the fifth season. Let the casting speculation commence…
12 of 13Princess Margaret’s marriage will break down
We could trawl through the history books to pick out potential plot points for season three, one storyline which we can count upon is the disintegration of Princess Margaret's marriage to photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones. 'We'll see the break-up of this extraordinary marriage between Margaret and [Lord] Snowdon, historical consultant Robert Lacey told Town & Country last year. The couple were married for the best part of two decades, eventually separating in 1976 and formally divorcing two years later, with multiple infidelities on both sides.
13 of 13The sets will be bigger and better than ever
Last year, the show's producers applied for permission to carry out new building work at the show's Elstree base, which has now received a green light from the relevant authorities. This means Buckingham Palace will get new gates and a balcony that's primed for royal waves (does this mean a wedding tableau?), while Downing Street will also be extended.