The Crown: Truth & Fiction

by Hugo Vickers

THE CROWN is a lavish Netflix series which, including its second series (released on Friday 8 December) now runs to twenty episodes.  Hugo Vickers, frequently described as an expert on the Royal Family, particularly in the period the series covers, has been bombarded by questions as to what in the series is true and what is false. And so he has decided to put his thoughts down on paper. In THE TRUTH & FICTION, Vickers writes that he does not approve of THE CROWN because 'it depicts real life people in situations which are partly true and partly false, and unfortunately most viewers take it all as gospel truth.'  He accepts that fiction can be a device to illuminate true events, but points out that it can be used to create dangerous, and lasting, false impressions too. THE CROWN has been a highly successful series, watched with intense interest across the globe.  The settings and costumes are of high quality, the acting is good, and it all looks convincing.  Peter Morgan is an intelligent writer, author of the film THE QUEEN, and the stage production of THE AUDIENCE.  The real Queen has previously inspired great performances from actresses such as Prunella Scales and Helen Mirren, and Claire Foy portrays her beautifully. As Vickers writes, 'The Crown has done a great job in reminding a younger generation that the Queen and Prince Philip were once young themselves.' One of the devices used in Series 2 is to take two straightforward themes which did happen and clash them against each other to create something which did not.  For example, in Episode 8, yes, the Queen and Prince Philip entertained the Kennedys at Buckingham Palace (on 5 June 1961), and yes, the Queen visited Nkrumah in Ghana (between 9 and 20 November 1961), but the Queen did not go to Ghana for the trivial reason that she wished to pull one over on Mrs Kennedy – she went there to ensure that Ghana remained part of the Commonwealth. Much has been written about the massive budget for this series and the attention to detail.   THE TRUTH & FICTION identifies quite a number of mistakes, especially in respect of Orders and decorations.  Having worked on films himself, Hugo Vickers knows how hard it is to make sure these details are correct, and how sometimes shortcuts have to be taken.  But it is not that difficult to get the details right, and so he points out some of these errors.  But these are trivial things in comparison to the things shown as having happened, when they did not. The cruelest and most undeserved victim of the series is Prince Philip, here portrayed as a fractious, bumptious Jack the Lad, very much the villain.  Watching the series, Hugo Vickers concludes that he failed to find the man who, in 1962, was advancing Anglo-German relations through remarks such as, ‘It may be difficult for people to see any virtue in forgiving one’s enemies, but let them reflect that it is much more likely to achieve a better future than stoking the fires of hatred and suspicion.’  This fictional Prince Philip is little more than a self-centred philanderer.  The real Prince Philip told his biographer, Tim ‘I certainly believe in the need for a “free” press, but there is a difference between freedom and licence and between the honest pursuit of the truth and the cynical pursuit of thoughtless – even vindictive sensationalism.’ THE TRUTH & FICTION delivers a sharp message to filmwriters, producers, and their historical  Fiction should help us understand the truth, not pervert it. 

Genres: History

52 pages, Paperback

Published December 9, 2017

About the author

Hugo Vickers is a writer and broadcaster, who has written biographies of many twentieth century figures, including the Queen Mother, Gladys, Duchess of Marlborough, Cecil Beaton, Vivien Leigh, a study of Greta Garbo, Alice, Princess Andrew of Greece, and his book, The Private World of The Duke and Duchess of Windsor was illustrated with pictures from their own collection. Mr Vickers’s book, The Kiss: The Story of an Obsession won the 1996 Stern Silver Pen Award for Non-Fiction.

Reviews

[Rae Parmeter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important reaction to the Crown

This book is an important work to differentiate between fact and fiction in the series The Crown. I agree with most of the historical inaccuracies pointed out. The only thing that bothers me is his apologetics of the Windsors. Even if we take out the artistic license of the show the recently declassified documents support the facts that both the Duke and Wallis were Nazi collaborators. But overall the book is good. Unfortunately when too much artistic license is done about true events people believe a version of history that is just not true.

[tina bartlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the true facts surrounding The Crown. While watching the series there were times when I wondered what really happened. Excellent read! I would highly recommend this book.

I enjoyed reading the true facts surrounding The Crown: Truth and Fiction: An Expert Analysis of Netflix Series. While watching the series on Netfix, there were times when I wondered what really happened. Excellent read! I would how recommend the book!

[F. Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never watched a episode of the Crown, and don’t plan to start. I get so angry when events and people are portrayed in a way they would not behave.
As a American with British roots, I don’t know a Duke’s coronet from that of a Earl, but you really should get the setting as close to correct as possible.

[Melissa Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

[A few spoilers for the show itself].










It's a bit more like a list of what's right and what's wrong, and it's not very aesthetic, but then it's not supposed to be a review. It goes through every episode. It's useful, although unluckily few will read it, because people watch the show as a true story of what really happened.

I love the show, but obviously some of it's made up, and unfortunately. the Washington Post just suggested it as a way to learn about history and the late Queen. No. It's extremely unlikely that the Queen couldn't cry or told Charles that no one cared about his opinion. Remember: when the doors are shut, it's probably made up.

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was like peeking into Hugo Vickers and his friends sitting down to watch - and trash - The Crown. That sentence sounds a lot more fun than reading this book though. Hugo Vickers is a god when it comes to royal writing, but I’m not exactly sure why this was published. Of course, I still read it. I watched and loved The Crown, and was interested in what Vickers had to say. I just wish there had been a bit more substance.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not up to Vickers' usual standards.

[Minnie Moffitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very great books

I love it and that is why it's a five star and I can't wait till read more on it

[Leigh Mcpherson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Succinct and entertaining

Very nice juxtaposition of the events of the episodes and the real life events that inspired them. The author certainly has an eye for details.

[Meg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too short

I would have liked a much more detailed disection of the historical inaccuracies and inaccuracies of The Crown. It seemed awfully skimpy, more an extended article.