The of the royal family in historically accurate and that it takes a lot of creative liberty when portraying their interpersonal struggles as well. But, all the Crown's characters clearly have issues that can be traced all the way back to their childhood.
If there is one thing that The Crown made clear, it's that the generational trauma in this family is very real. It's hard to hate on Philip's parenting skills when he too grew up emotionally neglected. The family always finds itself battling the same problems over and over again. Whether it's preventing their children to marry the person they love or just pure estrangement, these parents have failed on several fronts.
The Tour Of Australia: Philip And Elizabeth Left Their Children Behind
When it was time for Charles and Diana to embark on their Australian tour, the Princess of Wales wanted to bring baby William along. The Queen ed her own tour of Australia fondly, and she left Charles and Anne behind for five months.
"Don't you think that had any consequences?" Princess Margaret asked. "No, the tour was a huge success," the Queen replied. She didn't even understand Margaret's question correctly. That just goes to show how little she thought about them.
The Queen Mother's Constant Meddling
The Queen Mother was low-key one of the most toxic of the Royal Family. She was outright cruel to Margaret. When Tony cheated on her, she didn't stand up for her at all. Even worse, when she found out that Margaret had lovers as well, she was incredibly harsh towards her daughter.
The Queen Mother was always there, and it seemed as if Elizabeth highly valued her opinion. She ran the show from the background, while acting as if she was clueless.
Thatcher Clearly Preferred Her Son Over Her Daughter
It was hard not to feel sorry for Margaret Thatcher when she failed the so-called Balmoral test. The Royal family was a tough crowd, but as it later turned out, she was no better when it comes to running her own household.
Thatcher didn't think much of her daughter, and a part of that had to do with the fact she was a woman. Oh yes, the PM was incredibly sexist. Meanwhile, her rowdy son could do no wrong.
Where Are Princess Margaret's Children?
The show never included Princess Margaret's children in the story. It's as if she never sees them and doesn't care one bit about them. Margaret is one of the most tragic characters on the show, in large part because of her many familial issues.
She struggled with substance abuse and depression, so she probably didn't show up as an emotionally available mother. She did, however, see her niece's and nephew's pain, and stood up for them whenever she could.
The Queen's Disappointment After Charles' Investiture
A king is a man who rules and leads his people. Or is he? When Charles had a chance to speak his mind at his investiture and expressed his true feelings, it blew up in his face.
The Queen should have been proud of Charles for finding his voice, even if she didn't necessarily agree with what he said. Instead, she put him down and berated him for thinking for himself instead of putting on a facade for the public.
The Queen Mother Kept Secrets Of Her Own
As long as everything went the way she wanted, the Queen Mother acted perfectly sweetly. But behind closed doors, she conspired to prevent Charles from marrying Camilla and kept horrible secrets. One of the most heartbreaking scenes in season 4 was definitely Margaret finding out about her shunned secret cousins.
The Queen didn't seem too fazed by it, but the reveal shook Margaret to the core.
The Queen Didn't Do Any Hands-On Parenting
It's not like the Queen wasn't aware that failing to be a loving mother was one of her shortcomings. She felt guilty about the fact that she didn't know how to connect with her children when they were babies the way Diana did so naturally. The Queen was so uncomfortable with physical touch that she never even hugged her own kids.
She told her husband that she didn't like to give baths to Charles, and she preferred the nannies to do it. Still, she could've apologized to her children at some point, especially since they were all so clearly crying for help.
Elizabeth & Philip Refused To Listen To Charles
After the avalanche that almost killed him, Charles wanted to put an end to Diana's and his own suffering. The young couple had a meeting with the Queen and Philip, but they only heard what they wanted to hear: that Diana and Charles are going to make it work.
It was Diana who said that she wants to work on their marriage, even though it was clearly not going anywhere. And just like that, the meeting was over.
Elizabeth Didn't Even Know Her Own Children
Elizabeth was so far removed from the motherly side of herself that she didn't even know for sure who her favorite was, even though her snarky husband told her it was clear as day. She organized to see all of them to get to the bottom of things.
Not only did she learn that it was Prince Andrew who was her favorite, she also saw that all of her children are completely lost in life. She was so out of touch with them that she needed somebody to bring her up to speed about her children's lives.
Philip Was Jealous Of Charles' Relationship With Dickie
One of the saddest things about the Prince of Wales is that his own father resents him. Uncle Dickie was like a father to Prince Philip. And since Philip wasn't much of a father to Charles, Dickie took the young prince under his wing as well.
Philip clearly has a wounded inner child, otherwise, he wouldn't have acted so pettily and jealously towards Charles.