Robert Lacey is quoted in The Washington Post analysing whether or not the NetFlix series THE CROWN harms or helps the Royal Family during these turbulent times:
“The creators of the hit Netflix series THE CROWN attempt to reveal the inner psyche of Queen Elizabeth II. Now 93 and on the throne longer than any other British monarch, Elizabeth has been the glue that has helped to hold her fractious country together. She enjoys an enduring popularity politicians would die for — a 72 percent approval rating, according to pollsters YouGov, compared with 35 percent for Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“But does THE CROWN harm or help the royals at a time when the waters have turned choppy of late? There is that reported rift between the princes William and Harry, and Harry and Meghan — the Duke and Duchess of Sussex — have declared war against the tabloids in the courts, an approach the royal family typically has avoided in the past. More ominously, there are the accusations of sexual misconduct against Prince Andrew, who gave a television interview generally considered a public relations train wreck. He has since, as one royals expert put it, been ‘de-royaled.’
“Robert Lacey, a royals expert and historical consultant to THE CROWN, believes the series has done the royal family a service, especially to a new generation of voyeurs. ‘Peter Morgan and modern television have brought them to life and made them so relevant and powerful,’ Lacey said.
“Lacey says it’s the power of storytelling that breathes life into history, using what he calls ‘legitimate invention.’ He points to the scene in Peter Morgan’s 2006 movie ‘The Queen’ when Elizabeth is stranded alone in the Scottish Highlands and comes face to face with a buck, crowned with antlers. Such a deer was captured in a famous 19th-century painting titled ‘The Monarch of the Glen.’ ‘No one imagines the Queen in her life has spoken to a stag in the highlands of Scotland,’ Lacey said. ‘It’s total imagination, but it contains a very profound historical truth — two endangered species looking at each other.’
“The dramatic license in THE CROWN, he argues, serves to humanise the Queen and those around her. ‘As I see it, everything in THE CROWN is true, either historically or imaginatively,’ he says. He has joined the fact-fiction debate in a new book, ‘THE CROWN: Political Scandal, Personal Struggle, and the Years That Defined Elizabeth II.’
“Lacey thinks Morgan has achieved the impossible with THE CROWN. ‘He does shine the light, but the magic has actually been preserved and given a fresh shot of life.’
Read the full article: https://www.washingtonpost.com
