Netflix's "The Crown," which launches on Friday, Nov. 4, on the streaming platform, will begin with a shocking scene. The story of how Queen Elizabeth II (Claire Foy) ascended to the throne of the British monarchy at 25 will chart how her reign was founded with a grim detail.
Queen Elizabeth II's father, King George V (Jared Harris), will be shown coughing out blood as a result of his lung cancer in the first few scenes of "The Crown." The style is typical of writer Peter Morgan, who wanted to show the smaller details as a build up to the story.
"The Crown" star Claire Foy said that Queen Elizabeth was thrusted into her new role quite unprepared. She wasn't able to apprentice for her father. "She had no real idea of the day-to-day job or the running of the crown," the actress told CBS.
The queen was also grieving the loss of her father and needed a ton of help to manage her takeover in "The Crown." She finds that in Winston Churchill (John Lithgow) who was Britain's prime minister then. "He showed her the way, but at the same time, she learned about politics and politicians through Churchill," Claire Foy said.
"I am Queen, but I am also a woman... and a wife."
— The Crown (@TheCrownNetflix) October 21, 2016
- Queen Elizabeth II. #TheCrown. November 4th. pic.twitter.com/Lhn0yRzDKn
The first season of "The Crown" will also show the early years of Queen Elizabeth's marriage to Prince Philip (Matt Smith). Because he's a foreigner, he was treated as an outsider to the British monarchy and was shunned when it came to matters about the queen's reign and duty.
Writer Peter Morgan revealed that in their younger years, Prince Philip didn't immediately take to his wife becoming the queen, per The Wall Street Journal. He felt emasculated and this was often the cause of a rift between the royal couple.
The intriguing premise of "The Crown" will focus on Queen Elizabeth's first 10 years in the monarch in the first season, thus it will be ripe with conflict. Should Netflix renew the show for Season 2, Peter Morgan's plan is to tell the next 10 years of the queen's life.
Catch "The Crown" when it debuts on Netflix on Friday, Nov. 4, at midnight. Check back to this site for more news and updates.
