The Crown Season 3 Shines as It Explores Royal Sibling Dynamics

You can watch Keri Lumm’s spoiler review for The Crown Season 3 above, or read the full transcript below:

My mom has always said that the 1960s were terrible. I’m not sure that is accurate for everyone, but The Crown certainly makes you think the Queen did not enjoy them—not to mention the hat situation.

The Crown dives into the relationships and historical tales and brings them to us in bright color, with a nuance you cannot get from reading the article on Wikipedia. (Even though I spend half of each episode fact checking, and then saying “Oh my goodness, I cannot believe it’s TRUE!”)

The core of the story is that of love. As I watch Queen Elizabeth maneuver her life in Season 3, it is clear that her role separates her from the others in her family. She has to make the hard calls: She has to decide when to get involved with her mother-in-law, how to deal with a natural disaster, and what to do when her son and daughter get mixed up in relationships she doesn’t understand. She makes her son, who is happy, go to Wales for a term.

And in one poignant moment during the heartbreaking third episode focused on the Aberfan disaster, she laments her ability not to cry. She claims she cannot do it, even when her loved ones die.

I find this fascinating because women are often told not to cry at work. This plays out on TV shows all the time, still—and it almost feels as though the Queen is subject to this thought process as a woman alone in a man’s world. Stiff upper lip. No matter what!

Yet throughout the series, we she her lament change. In fact, at the end of that episode when she is alone, a tear slips down her face. She also has a tear in her eye when Winston Churchill is on his deathbed. It makes you wonder if she was willing to cry only when no one would tell!

And yet, we do see her finally cry. Openly. With the one she feels closest to: Her sister, Princess Margaret. I feel like in that moment, we see who the person who knows her best and who she is finally not afraid to be herself around. It makes sense. No doubt she loves her kids and Prince Philip, but those relationships are very different than the one she has with her sister. (And by the way, some more shots of the cutie small Prince Andrew and Prince Edward would have been nice! Kids add some levity.)

But the theme of sibling love is one that  is carried throughout this new season, and makes one stop and think about those relationships. In addition to Elizabeth and Margaret, the show makes the case that Princess Anne and Prince Charles share a special bond that no one else is really privy too. The same goes for Prince Philip’s mother, Princess Alice, and her brother Lord Mountbatten. They discuss things that only they know.

It goes to show how quite often a shared upbringing bonds people in a unique way. At least, that is what Peter Morgan wants us to think as we watch the show. The Crown Season 3 is indeed heavy and full of love. And hats that look like pots.

The Crown is currently available on Netflix.

Keri is a professional chatterbox who loves watching TV & movies, reading about pop culture, and gawking at any craziness on the internet. You can follow Keri on Twitter.

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