The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume 2: Political Scandal, Personal Struggle, and the Years that Defined Elizabeth II

The Crown: The Official Companion #2

by Robert Lacey

Can't get enough of The Crown? In this must-have exploration of the history behind seasons 2 and 3 of Peter Morgan's Emmy-winning Netflix drama, the show's historical consultant answers all your questions alongside beautifully reproduced archival photographs.

In this eye-opening companion to seasons 2 and 3 of Netflix's acclaimed series The Crown, renowned biographer and historical consultant Robert Lacey takes us through the real history that inspired the drama.

Covering two tumultuous decades in the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, Lacey looks at the key social, political, and personal moments and their effects--not only on the royal family but also on the world around them. From the Suez Crisis and the U.S.-Soviet space race to the legacy of the Duke of Windsor's collaboration with Hitler, along with the rumored issues with the royal marriage, the book provides a thought-provoking insight into the historic decades that the show explores, revealing the truth behind the on-screen drama.

Fascinating and fast-paced, this is a unique look behind the history that inspired the show and the years that would prove to be the making of the Queen.

The Crown is now available to watch on Netflix.

The Crown is produced by Left Bank Pictures in association with Sony Pictures Television for Netflix.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Royalty, Historical, Politics, 20th Century

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Robert Lacey is a British historian noted for his original research, which gets him close to - and often living alongside - his subjects. He is the author of numerous international bestsellers.

After writing his first works of historical biography, Robert, Earl of Essex and Sir Walter Ralegh, Robert wrote Majesty, his pioneering biography of Queen Elizabeth II. Published in 1977, Majesty remains
acknowledged as the definitive study of British monarchy - a subject on which the author continues to write and lecture around the world, appearing regularly on ABC's Good Morning America and on CNN's Larry King Live.

The Kingdom, a study of Saudi Arabia published in 1981, is similarly acknowledged as required reading for businessmen, diplomats and students all over the world. To research The Kingdom, Robert and his wife Sandi took their family to live for eighteen months beside the Red Sea in Jeddah. Going out into the desert, this was when Robert earned his title as the "method actor" of contemporary biographers.

In March 1984 Robert Lacey took his family to live in Detroit, Michigan, to write Ford: the Men and the Machine, a best seller on both sides of the Atlantic which formed the basis for the TV mini-series of the same title, starring Cliff Robertson.

Robert's other books include biographies of the gangster Meyer Lansky, Princess Grace of Monaco and a study of Sotheby's auction house. He co- authored The Year 1000 - An Englishman's World, a description of life at the turn of the last millennium. In 2002, the Golden Jubilee Year of Queen Elizabeth II, he published Royal (Monarch in America), hailed by Andrew Roberts in London's Sunday Telegraph as "compulsively readable", and by Martin Amis in The New Yorker as "definitive".

With the publication of his Great Tales Robert Lacey returns to his first love - history. Robert Lacey is currently the historical consultant to the award-winning Netflix series "The Crown".

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first one but still super good
I really wish there was a third one exclusively for Princess Diana lol

[Zosi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. As interesting as book 1, but this volume felt a bit rushed. It’s shorter than the first volume even though this one covers twice as many episodes, and it shows. The first volume was constructed with lots of pictures, notes on characters, and stills from the show-but this one doesn’t have any apart from a couple pictures and the photo stills in the middle. Also a couple of copy errors-it makes the book feel rushed, and most of the most important parts of the episodes are either not mentioned or glossed over. I would have liked to see a little more effort put into it, as was evident with its predecessor.

[Sage · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still enjoyed this book, but I wish they hadn’t jammed in 2 seasons to one book - I feel like there’s so much more I wanted to know, and there wasn’t time to get to it all. And I would have loved more behind the scenes photos and info as well, to mix with the (somewhat dry) history. I’m a huge history nerd, and *I* was bored at certain points. I feel like I did learn a lot though — who knew that Buzz Aldrin took communion on the moon?! That was super cool! Solid 3 stars, perhaps 3.5 if I’m feeling generous!

[Roos · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 star. This was disappointing. You could have gotten so much more from this

[Colleen Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love the Crown this will give you an insight of what is real and what is fiction. This book is truly an eye opener of the royal family.

[kinga · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐️ Bardzo ubogo w porównaniu do pierwszego tomu. Dobrze napisane i kilka nowych informacji, których nie było w serialu

[Anita Boeira · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first volume was excellent. The second volume seemed to have been written by a completely different person. I also really enjoyed all the photography in the first volume, but on the second volume the glossy photo pages where stills from the show. I am much more curious about the real imagines that inspired the tv show. I’ve already watched the tv show!

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Crown: The Official Companion Volume 2 provides some useful background information for Seasons 2 and 3 of The Crown series on Netflix but it is far less detailed than Volume 1, which is about the first season of the same series. Lacey quickly summarizes historical events such as the Suez crisis or the process of decolonization in the Commonwealth which deserve a more in depth treatment. Individual historical figures, such as Prince Philip, are discussed in more detail.
There is a defensive tone to the preface, describing how novelists and screenwriters are "deploying their imaginations to recreate a drama that is both fictitious & true." The goals of historical fiction are very different from the goals of non-fiction history writing and these differences, such as how fiction writers emphasize particular themes for artistic or dramatic effect, should be acknowledged rather than obscured as "true."
There are a few inaccuracies in the historical context. For example, Antony Armstrong-Jones was not the first commoner to marry a senior member of the royal family since Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn, as stated in the book. There were other more recent examples of untitled commoners marrying into the royal family such as the future James II and Anne Hyde in 1660. The extent of the dramatic license taken by the screenwriters is sometimes minimized or obscured in favour of emphasizing those parts of the series that are closer to the historical record.
The audiobook is very well read by Alex Jennings, who plays Edward VIII in The Crown on Netflix. He does a broad range of voices from Prince Charles (whom he portayed in the film The Queen) to the Texan accent of President Lyndon Johnson to the Welsh accents of Prince Charles's tutors at the University of Aberystwyth.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was wonderful, as was the first volume! It is a solid background to each episode in seasons 2 and 3- obviously it won't give you the entire story behind a particular historical figure or event, but enough to help grasp the basics. I listened to the audiobook, and as I suspected, Alex Jennings was fantastic for round 2. Certainly worth a listen/read if you enjoy the Crown!

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I was watching seasons 2&3 of The Crown there was several points where I wondered where the truth started and stopped...which bits had been massaged for dramatic effect, and which bits are supported by historically accurate evidence? This volume provides exactly what I was looking for - background information about the events portrayed, referenced back to historical sources. It is written by Robert Lacey who is the show’s historical consultant.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history comparison (to the tv series) is still fascinating, but the substantial format differences (fewer, smaller pictures, less detail overall) between this book and the first one took some time to get over.

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the first book. The writing was rambling instead of well encapsulated fleshed out stories, and there weren't nearly as many photos. Skip this one. Too bad since the first one was so enjoyable!

[Lacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I preferred the format of the first volume in this series much better. This book felt like it was written by a completely different author, and it was very dry. I wish he had introduced the Season 3 cast in photos the same way he introduced the cast in the first volume.

[Caroline Bews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Alex Jennings as a narrator so enjoyed listening to this.

[Lexie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5.

I didn't enjoy this as much as Volume 1. I thought it was a bit rushed and it didn't go into a lot of the history like the previous novel.

[Sarah Messenger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed but not as good as volume 1

[Lulu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Accessible, engaging history of Queen Elizabeth II's reign in the1950s-70s.

[Saturday's Child · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, easy but still interesting read over the Queen's Birthday long weekend.

[Dominika · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25

Duzo mniej ciekawa niz pierwsza czesc i wydawala sie mocno pospieszona.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is only interesting if you read or listen to it as you watch the show or soon after. I haven't seen season 2 in awhile and the beginning of the book was quite boring. By the middle of season two, though, I liked the dive into backstory I'd forgotten.

As for the rest...it was interesting to walk around listening to it, but I'd already extensively googled and most of the articles I found breaking down real vs dramatized events from the show were more engaging.

Part of the pitch of the book is 'you can't believe everything you see on screen - or even reliably fact-check it on the internet!' OK. I'm familiar with how the internet works. The author really is a well-qualified British historian with more standing to know this stuff than others, but there are a great many reputable news sites interested in The Crown as well and producing the same information in this book. It was perfectly fine - just maybe not worth a whole credit on Audible.

[Jennifer Desi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read for fans of The Crown. Only 3 stars because there are a few small mistakes and cramming two seasons into one book meant there weren’t as many details or photographs as volume 1. Still....looking forward to volume 3 and future seasons of The Crown!

[pi.kavka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tak jak w przypadku pierwszego tomu - dobre uzupełnienie serialu. Trochę nowych rzeczy się dowiadujemy, w tym parę pikantniejszych szczegółów o królowej i jej najbliższych.

Absolutnie nie jest to pozycja obowiązkowa, ale warto przeczytać, jeśli oglądaliście serial.

[Lara Pearce-Tripp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think people should actually read this before watching the series. As it tells you what is fictional & how events really happened. Enjoyed it though.

[Lyn Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting companion to the Netflix series, that fills in the political landscape and clarifies the rumours from the facts. Much of the series is imagined, but based on detailed research. Some events are totally fictious, but, according to the authors, designed to reveal deeper truths.
I am very interested in the series. It is a remarkable achievement, beautifully acted and edited. I am interested in this idea that the monarch supposedly floats above politics like some guardian angel. This series shows the monarch to be very much involved in discretely pulling on the levers of power, and acting in accordance with political wishes.
I am also somewhat uncomfortable with the idea that I am presented with 'history', even though it is clearly a dramatised narrative. The screenwriters and authors freely admit that some events are fictious, and most canny viewers would understand intuitively that the private conversations depicted in The Crown could only the work of imagination. Clearly a large amount of research has gone into this series, but it still a subjective view appearing with a kind of gloss of being more fact than fiction. How many viewers rely on this version of history as being fact, or 'the truth'? How many viewers do not understand the complex interplay between the need to tell a narrative and the need to remain faithful to events and political realities?
I find this trend of blending historical fact into a narrative both interesting and a little disturbing, with the popularity of authors like Hiliary Mantell and Philippa Gregory. Both are excellent authors and I have enjoyed books by both, but I still have a somewhat niggling doubt about how lesser research teams and less professional authors can massage the truth into something else for their own narrative, or even political, purposes.

[Gabriella Rusk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is for super fans of Netflix’s hit series, The Crown which recently released its third season. It delves into each episode and breaks down the historical elements, sorting out fact from fiction. I’ve loved watching this television show and have always wanted to learn more about the actual history of it all. Robert Lacey explains where the writers may have drawn inspiration for some of the dramatic elements in the series.

Heavily researched and intensely detailed, Lacey also points out where show runner Peter Morgan completely made something up. Some episodes blend together timelines or events and Lacey explains the decision to create more fictional dialogue or scenes not entirely based on fact.

At the same time, Lacey also provides background for many of the historical events I wanted to learn even more about. For example, I had never heard of the coal mining tragedy at Aberfan and was completely enraptured by the episode and learning more about this terrible event. I was also very interested in learning more about Prince Charles and his time in Wales. However, I was disappointed there wasn’t very much about Margaret, despite the focus of her in the final episode.

Because the second season had come out quite some time ago, I skimmed the first half of this book. I was having trouble recalling many of the details from those earlier episodes and the second season was not my favorite in terms of story lines. However, skipping ahead to the third season section of this book was worth it because the episodes were fresh in my mind and it was wildly fascinating to learn more about many of the big historical events.

If you’re a big fan of the show, I highly recommend reading this and if you haven’t watched it yet, head over to Netflix! Can’t wait for Season 4. (GR)

[Shreedevi Gurumurty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fascinating royal and social history that inspired Seasons 2 and 3 of The Crown, written by the show's historical consultant.
In this incredible companion to the second and third seasons of Netflix's acclaimed series The Crown, renowned biographer and the show's historical consultant Robert Lacey takes us through the real history that inspired the drama. Covering two tumultuous decades in the reign of Elizabeth II, Lacey looks at the key social, political and personal moments and the effect they had not only on the royal family, but also on the world around them. From the Suez Canal Crisis and the US/Russia space race to the Duke of Windsor's collaboration with Hitler and the rumoured issues with the royal marriage, the book will provide a fascinating insight into the two decades that the show covers, revealing the truth behind the fiction on-screen.Extensively researched and complete with beautifully reproduced photographs, this is a unique look behind the history that inspired the show and the years that would prove to be the making of The Queen.There's a lot of sociopolitical intrigue to unpack here as we reach Queen Elizabeth II's reign in the latter years of the 20th century. The Crown 👑 is a package deal. It has mystery, drama, glamour, and romance to keep fans like me hooked.

[Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A huge downgrade in production quality from Vol 1. The first book covering Season 1 was loaded with photos (both of the real people and their show counterparts) and each chapter, while not necessarily comprehensive in what it covered, at least hit on most of the main focuses of each episode and hit the important points in distinguishing which parts of each episode were fact and which were fiction.

This book, instead, will leave you wanting. The chapters usually only run about 10-12 pages and rarely cover more than one theme or topic from each episode, accompanied by one small photo at the end of each chapter. A lot of times, the book avoids the main events that dominate an episode and choose to spend 90% of the chapter on events covered by a scene or two. (Example - mild/general historical spoilers - the chapter for S3E10 is almost entirely spent discussing the second premiership of Harold Wilson, which in the episode itself takes up maybe 5 minutes of the hourlong season finale). And if you're looking for answers on what in the show was real and what was dramatized, you may get one or two per chapter but you're better off spending your time surfing Wikipedia instead of reading this book.

There's no further volumes to cover the last 3 seasons yet, but if additional volumes are going to resemble this book more than Vol 1, I hope they don't bother.

[Leslie Goddard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the idea of a companion book to the popular series, and this book will undoubtedly thrill historians who want to delve deeper into the issues surrounding the monarchy in the years covered by the show. There is a good amount of political background, as well as broader historical context (e.g. the moon landing and Phillip’s fascination with it).

As a fan of the show, however, I found it curious that they did not devote any time here to going behind the scenes. You get no insight into casting decisions, how the sets were designed, how closely the costumes followed history, or anything else related to the “making-of.” I wasn’t expecting the entire book to cover that but I was expecting a little bit of it. An entire book with that approach might have been a more exciting read than this, which slants heavily toward the historical/political/academic.

That said, I do love how the book takes you through how closely the script of each episode conforms to historical fact in both its details (not very much) and its broader scope (quite a lot). The idea that the show is mostly fictionalized but is accurate in the big picture it presents of these years is fascinating and the best part of this book.

[Pam Baddeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having recently obtained the DVDs of the series this describes, when I saw this in a charity shop I decided to pick it up - I then read it alongside the series, so that after watching each episode I read the corresponding chapter. It was interesting to see just how drastically the history had been changed to introduce dramatic conflict - for example, in the moon landing episode a big thread is a midlife crisis undergone by Prince Philip who berates some clerics for 'navel gazing' instead of being action men - but in real life, according to the book, he actually fundraised for them and organised the refurbishment of the buildings given over to their use, plus played a big part in the ongoing spiritual centre, gave lectures there (published in 3 books) and was totally supportive. There are quite a few things like that which do make you have serious doubts about the series and took away a bit from my enjoyment though I still enjoy some aspects.

The book itself is uneven as in some chapters it doesn't tackle major parts of the story - for example, there's really nothing about Kennedy and whether Jackie Kennedy was really so scathing about the Queen - it focuses on the Queen's diplomatic triumph in Africa which was another thread in the episode. I rate it at a workmanlike 3 stars.

[Karen Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found these two volumes while trying to learn more about 20th century British history.

I compare my addiction to "The Crown" to 2020: like something I never would have expected to happen and didn't see coming. I have never been interested in the Royal Family, although I always liked and felt for Diana. But the show turned me into a huge fan of The Queen. She has seen and been through so much, and most importantly, she has evolved. After season 2, I was in awe of her strength, wisdom, and power. One thing I didn't like was how ignorant I was/still am of British history. The episodes were good even if you didn't know the history, but I kept asking Gale to stop the program so I could ask her questions, since she lived in England for 3 or 4 years. She didn't always know the answers, so I started looking for books to fill in my many blanks. Each episode is summarized in a chapter, and each episode chapter has corresponding chapter that describes what happened in real life. The show follows history generally, but sometimes things are changed for story-telling purposes. The books include photos of the historical figures as well as of the actors.