Headscratchers / The Crown (2016)

• Many times it seems like Queen Elizabeth II doesn't know anything about her role as queen and her subordinates tell her what she needs to know. It's almost like she is surprised she became queen after her father died. Why wasn't she properly prepared?
  • Because her father passed away young, at 56, and they thought they'd have more time—anywhere from 15 to 25 years to prepare—and during her reign, she's often confronted not only with political and personal crises, but massive, rapid changes to society. One of the recurring themes of the show is that Elizabeth's fatal flaw is that she's slow and indecisive to act, whether it stems from caution or wanting to please everyone or insecurity about being the "dull, dutiful" one who didn't want to be queen. And as events increasingly show, that's not necessarily a good thing.
  • She was also grossly undereducated due to her gender, as her mother insisted that no one wants a "Blue Stocking" for a Queen. So the King and Queen educated Elizabeth and Margaret the way their mother and grandmother's were educated: the 3 Rs, some languages, some Royal laws, and some decorative activities.
• Prince Philip is often angry about being married to a queen and that she and their children have a higher standing than he does. Why did he marry her in the first place if he wanted a more subdued life?
  • He doesn't want a subdued life. He wants to be King, not "just" Prince Consort, both out of a sense of entitlement (and the gender roles of the 20th century) and honest frustration that he can't do much or exercise much authority over anything.
  • Rule of Drama. In Real Life, Philip knew from day one his full expectations as Prince Consort, and did them with little complaint. The only true "fuss" he raised was over the issue of the royal children's last name, and this was solved via making the family name "Mountbatten-Windsor."
  • Philip knew what he was getting into but didn't expect Elizabeth to become Queen so soon. He thought he was going to have years to pursue his career in the Royal Navy and make a name for himself like his Uncle Dickie. Becoming Consort at 31 meant he had to spend prime years of his life doing nothing.
• In the first episode, they make a point to show mice in the royal kitchen, feet away from where servants are plating a meal for King George VI...including a dead one. What? Why? This seems to be a gross (no pun intended) misrepresentation of the palace, given that this episode takes place in the 1950's and not the 1850's.
  • Rule of Symbolism; the contrast between the high-status dealings of the meal versus the more sordid realities happening where no one else can see is a metaphor for the contrast between the glamourous, dignified public faces of the Royal Family versus the somewhat grubbier realities of what happens behind closed doors. Also, well, 1950s or not mice just get into kitchens, especially kitchens in castles that are hundreds of years old.