Top 5 Facts The Crown Got Right

Fact or fiction, most of us are happy just watching the life stories of the Royal Family unfold, but how accurate is this small screen historical drama? Welcome to MsMojo and today we’re counting down the "Top 5 Facts The Crown Got Right."

For this list, we’re looking at some of the larger than life events and moments from this Netflix series that, believe it or not, actually happened. Although the show has been criticized for embellishing and sensationalizing for entertainment’s sake, the following facts are genuine.

Queen Elizabeth served in the Royal Army.

In her pre-Majesty days, Queen Elizabeth did, in fact, serve her country during World War II. As briefly mentioned in the second episode, when Prince Philip and Elizabeth are on tour in Kenya, she was a mechanic. Not only was Elizabeth a proud member of the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service, but she was also the only female member of the Royal family to have ever served in the Armed Forces. After the family refused to evacuate the princesses to Canada during the war, Elizabeth was finally allowed to join, after her 18th birthday, as an honorary second subaltern. She ended up training as a mechanic and driver.

Prince Philip was upset that Elizabeth would not take his name.

The show’s portrayal of Philip’s frequent annoyance at being overshadowed and emasculated by his wife’s growing Royal stature may have been a tad overblown. For example, there is no evidence that he made a fuss over having to kneel before Elizabeth at her coronation; but there was real tension between the couple, particularly when it came to the legacy and prominence of their respective houses. It is, therefore, very true that the Prince took a bit of a hit to the royal family jewels when he learned that his children would not be taking his family name of Mountbatten, but the Queen’s family name, Windsor, instead.

What may have seemed like a bit of cinematic juxtaposition for dramatic effect represents the all too real and exact moment Elizabeth became a Queen. While in Kenya with Prince Philip, poor Elizabeth did not immediately hear about the sad news of her father’s passing. As the news quickly spreads, and her staff is rushing to let her know before she accidentally finds out, we see the Princess writing a letter to her father, unaware of the fact that he has already passed. Apparently, that kind of dramatic irony is not only found on screen, but in the history books, too.

Bathtime Fun with Winston Churchill

Churchill’s life is incredibly well-documented, and his fascinating quirks and wit are known to many. John Lithgow’s award-winning portrayal is similarly mesmerizing, so much so that some questioned whether creative license was taken in depicting the famed Prime Minister. In this exceptionally bizarre and funny scene, Churchill sits in a bathtub while his secretary, just on the other side of the door, reads him the news. It would seem that truth is stranger than fiction however, and Churchill’s legacy requires no embellishment. The writers behind the show claim to have found record of this odd habit in an old documentary.

The doomed relationship between Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend was one of the main storylines of the first season of The Crown. Not only was the affair rife with scandal in those days, but it was a sore spot for Elizabeth in her first years as Queen, who was required to approve their marriage since Townsend was divorced. Torn between wanting to support her sister, and having to protect the crown and her image, tough decisions had to be made to keep the lovebirds apart. Although in real life it was Margaret who publicly announced that they would not wed, the Shakespearean love story was, otherwise, rooted in fact.