How much of The Crown can you REALLY believe? From the Queen's 'fake' tears at Aberfan to Princess Margaret's raucous night with the President, we reveal what's true and what's simply royal TV fantasy

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

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The Crown returned to Netflix with an explosive third series yesterday — introducing fans to key royal events from the 1960s and 1970s. Viewers watched as Princess Margaret (Helena Bonham Carter) cavorted with US President Lyndon B. Johnson (Clancy Brown) and the Queen 'faked' tears while speaking to the bereaved following the Aberfan tragedy of 1966. But how much of the show is fact... and how much is simply royal fiction? The Crown's creator Peter Morgan has previously admitted to using artistic license with the story lines - and here, we fact-check just how accurate The Crown really is...

The Crown returned to Netflix with an explosive third series yesterday — introducing fans to key royal events from the 1960s and 1970s. Viewers watched as Princess Margaret (Helena Bonham Carter) cavorted with US President Lyndon B. Johnson (Clancy Brown) and the Queen 'faked' tears while speaking to the bereaved following the Aberfan tragedy of 1966. But how much of the show is fact... and how much is simply royal fiction? The Crown's creator Peter Morgan has previously admitted to using artistic license with the story lines - and here, we fact-check just how accurate The Crown really is... 

THE CROWN'S CLAIM— THE QUEEN DIDN'T SHED A TEAR AT ABERFAN: In episode three of the new series, the Queen visits the Welsh mining village of Aberfan eight days after the devastating avalanche of slurry killed 144 people, mostly children, in 1966. The show claims the monarch was forced to visit after a public backlash. During the outing, the Queen dabs her eye as if wiping a tear after talking to the bereaved. She later says: ‘I dabbed a bone-dry eye and by some miracle no one noticed.’

THE CROWN'S CLAIM— THE QUEEN DIDN'T SHED A TEAR AT ABERFAN: In episode three of the new series, the Queen visits the Welsh mining village of Aberfan eight days after the devastating avalanche of slurry killed 144 people, mostly children, in 1966. The show claims the monarch was forced to visit after a public backlash. During the outing, the Queen dabs her eye as if wiping a tear after talking to the bereaved. She later says: ‘I dabbed a bone-dry eye and by some miracle no one noticed.’

THE VERDICT — FALSE: Her Majesty's decision to not visit Aberfan immediately is said to be one of her biggest regrets. Sally Bechdel, author of Elizabeth the Queen, claims the monarch's initial refusal to appear at the site wasn't out of coldness but rather practicality. As for whether the Queen cried, those who accompanied her in real life insist that she was in tears. 'Aberfan affected the Queen very deeply, I think, when she went there. It was one of the few occasions in which she shed tears in public,' Sir William Heseltine, who served in the royal press office at the time, revealed in the documentary Elizabeth: Our Queen.

THE VERDICT — FALSE: Her Majesty's decision to not visit Aberfan immediately is said to be one of her biggest regrets. Sally Bechdel, author of Elizabeth the Queen, claims the monarch's initial refusal to appear at the site wasn't out of coldness but rather practicality. As for whether the Queen cried, those who accompanied her in real life insist that she was in tears. 'Aberfan affected the Queen very deeply, I think, when she went there. It was one of the few occasions in which she shed tears in public,' Sir William Heseltine, who served in the royal press office at the time, revealed in the documentary Elizabeth: Our Queen.

THE CROWN'S CLAIM — PRINCESS MARGARET KISSED PRESIDENT JOHNSON DURING A RAUCOUS NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE: Episode two shows Princess Margaret (Helena Bonham Carter) embarking on a tour of the US with husband Lord Snowden (Ben Daniels) in 1965 with the aim of securing a loan from President Lyndon B. Johnson (Clancy Brown) to prevent Britain's economic ruin. The Queen specifically requests her sister behave in a respectable manner at a White House dinner — but Margaret does the opposite. She expresses her distaste for the recently assassinated President Kennedy, taking part in a drinking competition before dancing with Johnson and giving him a cheeky kiss on the mouth.

THE CROWN'S CLAIM — PRINCESS MARGARET KISSED PRESIDENT JOHNSON DURING A RAUCOUS NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE: Episode two shows Princess Margaret (Helena Bonham Carter) embarking on a tour of the US with husband Lord Snowden (Ben Daniels) in 1965 with the aim of securing a loan from President Lyndon B. Johnson (Clancy Brown) to prevent Britain's economic ruin. The Queen specifically requests her sister behave in a respectable manner at a White House dinner — but Margaret does the opposite. She expresses her distaste for the recently assassinated President Kennedy, taking part in a drinking competition before dancing with Johnson and giving him a cheeky kiss on the mouth.

VERDICT — FALSE:  This is mostly fictitious. Princess Margaret's visit had nothing to do with a loan, and the royal and her husband were requested to extend their trip to America by the Labour government to include official engagements to promote trade in general. At the dinner, there were no smears on Kennedy, nor is it likely that Princess Margaret would've kissed the president on the lips. And while The Crown depicts the troubles between the US and UK resolved by Margaret's cheeky visit, this was not the case — Johnson and Wilson's administrations had an awkward relationship for years after her trip.

VERDICT — FALSE:  This is mostly fictitious. Princess Margaret's visit had nothing to do with a loan, and the royal and her husband were requested to extend their trip to America by the Labour government to include official engagements to promote trade in general. At the dinner, there were no smears on Kennedy, nor is it likely that Princess Margaret would've kissed the president on the lips. And while The Crown depicts the troubles between the US and UK resolved by Margaret's cheeky visit, this was not the case — Johnson and Wilson's administrations had an awkward relationship for years after her trip.

THE CROWN'S CLAIM — THE QUEEN'S PERSONAL ART HISTORIAN ANTHONY BLUNT WAS A SOVIET SPY: At the start of the series, the Queen wrongly believes Harold Wilson (Jason Watkins) is a Soviet spy after Director General of MI5 Martin Furnival Jones (Angus Wright), tells her that a man at the top of the British establishment has been linked to the Cambridge Spy Ring. However it is later revealed to be new character Sir Anthony Blunt (Samuel West), Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures. Despite Blunt confessing to the crime, he keeps his job and continues to work at Buckingham Palace.

THE CROWN'S CLAIM — THE QUEEN'S PERSONAL ART HISTORIAN ANTHONY BLUNT WAS A SOVIET SPY: At the start of the series, the Queen wrongly believes Harold Wilson (Jason Watkins) is a Soviet spy after Director General of MI5 Martin Furnival Jones (Angus Wright), tells her that a man at the top of the British establishment has been linked to the Cambridge Spy Ring. However it is later revealed to be new character Sir Anthony Blunt (Samuel West), Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures. Despite Blunt confessing to the crime, he keeps his job and continues to work at Buckingham Palace.

VERDICT — TRUE:  Shockingly, this storyline is based in fact. Blunt was the royal family's chief art curator from 1945 to 1972, despite him confessing to being a Soviet spy. Blunt provided Soviet intelligence officers with 1,771 documents between 1941 and 1945, according to archives cited in Michelle Carter's Anthony Blunt: His Lives. Yet to prevent it reflecting poorly on MI5 and MI6's competency in counterintelligence, he was offered immunity in exchange for a confession and cooperation in ongoing investigations. Blunt was outed as a spy in 1979, when Margaret Thatcher exposed him in a speech to the House of Commons. Despite KGB trying - and failing - to recruit Mr Wilson, there was no credible evidence that the Prime Minister was ever a Soviet agent.

VERDICT — TRUE:  Shockingly, this storyline is based in fact. Blunt was the royal family's chief art curator from 1945 to 1972, despite him confessing to being a Soviet spy. Blunt provided Soviet intelligence officers with 1,771 documents between 1941 and 1945, according to archives cited in Michelle Carter's Anthony Blunt: His Lives. Yet to prevent it reflecting poorly on MI5 and MI6's competency in counterintelligence, he was offered immunity in exchange for a confession and cooperation in ongoing investigations. Blunt was outed as a spy in 1979, when Margaret Thatcher exposed him in a speech to the House of Commons. Despite KGB trying - and failing - to recruit Mr Wilson, there was no credible evidence that the Prime Minister was ever a Soviet agent.

THE CROWN'S CLAIM — THE ROYAL FAMILY TOOK PART IN A FLY-ON-THE-WALL STYLE DOCUMENTARY:  In the fourth episode, the royal family take part in a documentary which sees cameras follow them during their day-to-day lives, to prove how 'normal' they are. It's Prince Philip's (Tobias Menzies) idea as he tries to improve the family’s public image with the one-off program.

THE CROWN'S CLAIM — THE ROYAL FAMILY TOOK PART IN A FLY-ON-THE-WALL STYLE DOCUMENTARY:  In the fourth episode, the royal family take part in a documentary which sees cameras follow them during their day-to-day lives, to prove how 'normal' they are. It's Prince Philip's (Tobias Menzies) idea as he tries to improve the family’s public image with the one-off program.

VERDICT  — TRUE: Titled Royal Family, the 1969 documentary was a combined effort between the BBC and ITV and covered a year in the life of the Queen. But it was not Prince Philip's idea. Instead, it was put forward by the Palace’s new royal press secretary William Heseltine, who wanted to encourage public support for a monarchy that was increasingly seen as out-of-touch. Meanwhile, The Duke of Edinburgh's interview in America took place on November 9, 1969, after the Royal Family had aired. The documentary was last shown on the BBC in 1972 and hasn't been broadcast since, with the copyright being controlled by the Queen's Private Secretary.

VERDICT  — TRUE: Titled Royal Family, the 1969 documentary was a combined effort between the BBC and ITV and covered a year in the life of the Queen. But it was not Prince Philip's idea. Instead, it was put forward by the Palace’s new royal press secretary William Heseltine, who wanted to encourage public support for a monarchy that was increasingly seen as out-of-touch. Meanwhile, The Duke of Edinburgh's interview in America took place on November 9, 1969, after the Royal Family had aired. The documentary was last shown on the BBC in 1972 and hasn't been broadcast since, with the copyright being controlled by the Queen's Private Secretary.

THE CROWN'S CLAIM — PRINCE PHILIP'S MOTHER GAVE A NEWSPAPER INTERVIEW ABOUT HER MENTAL ILLNESS:  After The Crown suggests the Royal Family documentary is panned, Princess Anne is set to give an interview with The Guardian following the apparent bad press. Yet she instead offers her grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, who has been staying at Buckingham Palace after leaving Greece. Anne feigns a cold and excuses herself from the interview, sending her grandmother out into the hallway where journalist John Armstrong (played by Colin Morgan) is waiting.

THE CROWN'S CLAIM — PRINCE PHILIP'S MOTHER GAVE A NEWSPAPER INTERVIEW ABOUT HER MENTAL ILLNESS:  After The Crown suggests the Royal Family documentary is panned, Princess Anne is set to give an interview with The Guardian following the apparent bad press. Yet she instead offers her grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, who has been staying at Buckingham Palace after leaving Greece. Anne feigns a cold and excuses herself from the interview, sending her grandmother out into the hallway where journalist John Armstrong (played by Colin Morgan) is waiting.

VERDICT — FALSE:  Princess Alice never gave interviews, according to Hugo Vickers’ 2001 biography Alice: Princess Andrew Of Greece. And the journalist that interviewed her character in The Crown, John Armstrong, never actually existed. Regarding the documentary, Alice was already established within Buckingham Palace — having been living there for a year.

VERDICT — FALSE:  Princess Alice never gave interviews, according to Hugo Vickers’ 2001 biography Alice: Princess Andrew Of Greece. And the journalist that interviewed her character in The Crown, John Armstrong, never actually existed. Regarding the documentary, Alice was already established within Buckingham Palace — having been living there for a year.

THE CROWN'S CLAIM — SIR ANTHONY BLUNT BLACKMAILED PRINCE PHILIP TO KEEP QUIET ABOUT HIS SPY PAST:  Despite the decision to keep Sir Anthony Blunt's past as a spy secret, a frustrated Prince Philip threatens to expose him. Yet as the Duke of Edinburgh suggests he'll be keeping a close eye on the art historian, the staff member turns around and blackmails the royal. He threatens to reveal the royal's links to the Profumo scandal, which were dramatized in the second season of The Crown.

THE CROWN'S CLAIM — SIR ANTHONY BLUNT BLACKMAILED PRINCE PHILIP TO KEEP QUIET ABOUT HIS SPY PAST:  Despite the decision to keep Sir Anthony Blunt's past as a spy secret, a frustrated Prince Philip threatens to expose him. Yet as the Duke of Edinburgh suggests he'll be keeping a close eye on the art historian, the staff member turns around and blackmails the royal. He threatens to reveal the royal's links to the Profumo scandal, which were dramatized in the second season of The Crown.

THE VERDICT — FALSE:  There is no evidence to suggest that any such blackmail between Sir Anthony Blunt and Prince Philip occurred. And despite being dramatized in the second series of the show, the links between the Prince and the scandal are tenuous at best. After his part in the spy ring was exposed, Anthony was granted full anonymity and immunity from prosecution in exchange for his full cooperation. However, once Mrs Thatcher had outed his past, the Queen went on to strip Blunt of his knighthood.

THE VERDICT — FALSE:  There is no evidence to suggest that any such blackmail between Sir Anthony Blunt and Prince Philip occurred. And despite being dramatized in the second series of the show, the links between the Prince and the scandal are tenuous at best. After his part in the spy ring was exposed, Anthony was granted full anonymity and immunity from prosecution in exchange for his full cooperation. However, once Mrs Thatcher had outed his past, the Queen went on to strip Blunt of his knighthood.

THE CROWN'S CLAIM: LORD MOUNTBATTEN TRIED TO OVERTHROW PRIME MINISTER HAROLD WILSON: In episode five, the newspaper boss and Bank of England Director Cecil King tried to woo Lord Mountbatten (Charles Dance) into leading a coup to overthrow Prime Minister Harold Wilson's government.

THE CROWN'S CLAIM: LORD MOUNTBATTEN TRIED TO OVERTHROW PRIME MINISTER HAROLD WILSON: In episode five, the newspaper boss and Bank of England Director Cecil King tried to woo Lord Mountbatten (Charles Dance) into leading a coup to overthrow Prime Minister Harold Wilson's government. 

THE VERDICT — FALSE:  The extraordinary memoir by newspaper editor and publishing boss Hugh Cudlipp, ‘Walking on Water’, recounts a 1968 plot by Cecil King to bring down Harold Wilson and install an unelected government with Lord Louis Mountbatten at the head. Cecil is believed to have thought the government under Harold Wilson was a political disaster which was on the brink of economic and political collapse. He considered taking dream-leader Lord Mountbatten on board in 1967, and is understood to have approached him alongside Cudlipp about the plot. However, Lord Mountbatten ultimately said he was 'too old' to play such a part in the new regime. He is also understood to have discussed the state of the nation with Cudlipp, but he did not seem inclined to get involved. In The Crown, Lord Mountbatten is summoned to the Bank of England for a meeting before inviting everyone to his home to give his response to the plot. But in real life, King and Cuplipp and Mountbattern are understood to have met at the Lord's London residence in Kinnerton Street where he said his participation in the plot was 'not on'.

THE VERDICT — FALSE:  The extraordinary memoir by newspaper editor and publishing boss Hugh Cudlipp, ‘Walking on Water’, recounts a 1968 plot by Cecil King to bring down Harold Wilson and install an unelected government with Lord Louis Mountbatten at the head. Cecil is believed to have thought the government under Harold Wilson was a political disaster which was on the brink of economic and political collapse. He considered taking dream-leader Lord Mountbatten on board in 1967, and is understood to have approached him alongside Cudlipp about the plot. However, Lord Mountbatten ultimately said he was 'too old' to play such a part in the new regime. He is also understood to have discussed the state of the nation with Cudlipp, but he did not seem inclined to get involved. In The Crown, Lord Mountbatten is summoned to the Bank of England for a meeting before inviting everyone to his home to give his response to the plot. But in real life, King and Cuplipp and Mountbattern are understood to have met at the Lord's London residence in Kinnerton Street where he said his participation in the plot was 'not on'.

THE CROWN'S CLAIM — PRINCESS MARGARET STOLE THE SHOW IN AN ORANGE GOWN EMBELLISHED WITH ROSES WHEN VISITING PRESIDENT JOHNSON:  Helena Bonham Carter's Princess Margaret is a vision in pink and orange during her trip to America in the second episode of the season. The royal steals the show when visiting President Johnson in the bright number, winning the politician over with her sparkling personality.

THE CROWN'S CLAIM — PRINCESS MARGARET STOLE THE SHOW IN AN ORANGE GOWN EMBELLISHED WITH ROSES WHEN VISITING PRESIDENT JOHNSON:  Helena Bonham Carter's Princess Margaret is a vision in pink and orange during her trip to America in the second episode of the season. The royal steals the show when visiting President Johnson in the bright number, winning the politician over with her sparkling personality.

THE VERDICT — FALSE:  In reality, the royal wore a simple pink dress for her visit, rather than the bright and garish gown depicted in the series. However the show's costume designer Amy Roberts, from London, previously revealed she used color 'like an armor' for the royal saying 'I try to reflect the rootlessness and toxicity in Margaret...We used more flamboyant styles and fabrics to try to point out that wildness with no direction.' And Margaret had worn a similar patterned dress when dancing the night away with her husband at a charity ball in London in 1966.

THE VERDICT — FALSE:  In reality, the royal wore a simple pink dress for her visit, rather than the bright and garish gown depicted in the series. However the show's costume designer Amy Roberts, from London, previously revealed she used color 'like an armor' for the royal saying 'I try to reflect the rootlessness and toxicity in Margaret...We used more flamboyant styles and fabrics to try to point out that wildness with no direction.' And Margaret had worn a similar patterned dress when dancing the night away with her husband at a charity ball in London in 1966.

THE CROWN'S CLAIM — THE QUEEN MIGHT HAVE HAD AN AFFAIR WITH HER HORSE RACING MANAGER LORD PORCHESTER:  The Netflix drama shows the Queen traveling to stud farms in both America and France with her horse racing manager Lord Porchester (John Hollingworth), who she affectionately calls Porchie. Her time away and affectionate nickname for her travel companion sparks an on screen row with her husband when she returns to Buckingham Palace.

THE CROWN'S CLAIM — THE QUEEN MIGHT HAVE HAD AN AFFAIR WITH HER HORSE RACING MANAGER LORD PORCHESTER:  The Netflix drama shows the Queen traveling to stud farms in both America and France with her horse racing manager Lord Porchester (John Hollingworth), who she affectionately calls Porchie. Her time away and affectionate nickname for her travel companion sparks an on screen row with her husband when she returns to Buckingham Palace.

THE VERDICT — FALSE:  The Crown's suggestion of an illicit affair between the two has been criticized by former royal aides and experts. Last week, British royal historian Kate Williams said the duo shared 'nothing more than a friendship'. 'I think that the Queen had a very close friendship with Lord Porchester but it was nothing more than a friendship,' she told Kay Burley on Sky News.

THE VERDICT — FALSE:  The Crown's suggestion of an illicit affair between the two has been criticized by former royal aides and experts. Last week, British royal historian Kate Williams said the duo shared 'nothing more than a friendship'. 'I think that the Queen had a very close friendship with Lord Porchester but it was nothing more than a friendship,' she told Kay Burley on Sky News.

THE CROWN'S CLAIM — PRINCESS MARGARET AND LORD SNOWDON ARGUE AHEAD OF HIS UPCOMING BOOK LAUNCH:  During their trip to America in 1965, The Crown shows Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon passionately argue about his upcoming book launch. Tony accuses Margaret of taking all the attention as they travel around the US. She promises to be a 'doting, supportive' wife when in New York for his launch - until they get dragged away to an unexpected dinner with President Johnson.

THE CROWN'S CLAIM — PRINCESS MARGARET AND LORD SNOWDON ARGUE AHEAD OF HIS UPCOMING BOOK LAUNCH:  During their trip to America in 1965, The Crown shows Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon passionately argue about his upcoming book launch. Tony accuses Margaret of taking all the attention as they travel around the US. She promises to be a 'doting, supportive' wife when in New York for his launch - until they get dragged away to an unexpected dinner with President Johnson.

THE VERDICT — FALSE:  This missed book party is believed to be a fabrication — with Lord Snowdon not having published a volume of photographs that year. Yet that isn't to say that the married couple, who divorced in 1978, never argued. The pair were well known for their heated rows. A few years after the couple wed, the clash of cultures became clear as the now-Earl Of Snowdon was offered a position as an artistic adviser to The Sunday Times. According to biographer Anne de Courcy, Snowdon was driven by his work, while Margaret preferred him to be at home with the their two children David and Sarah. Eventually Lord Snowdon began a string of affairs while away on photography assignments, and also had a more serious affair with Lady Jacqueline Rufus-Isaacs in 1969 which left Margaret devastated.

THE VERDICT — FALSE:  This missed book party is believed to be a fabrication — with Lord Snowdon not having published a volume of photographs that year. Yet that isn't to say that the married couple, who divorced in 1978, never argued. The pair were well known for their heated rows. A few years after the couple wed, the clash of cultures became clear as the now-Earl Of Snowdon was offered a position as an artistic adviser to The Sunday Times. According to biographer Anne de Courcy, Snowdon was driven by his work, while Margaret preferred him to be at home with the their two children David and Sarah. Eventually Lord Snowdon began a string of affairs while away on photography assignments, and also had a more serious affair with Lady Jacqueline Rufus-Isaacs in 1969 which left Margaret devastated.


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