History Characters / TheCrown2016OtherCharacters

A professional photographer based on Aberdeen, and long-time photographer of the royal family.

* MarriedToTheJob: Mildly, he has a traditional uneventful life and seems happily married, but is passionate about the royal family and his wife sometimes jokes that he loves the Queen more than her.

A professional photographer turned paparazoo, hired by Al-Fayed to unconver the romance of Dodi and Diana.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Mario Brenna has called the plotline about Al-Fayed hiring him "[[https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/11/diana-paparazzo-fights-back-at-the-crown-absurd-and-completely-invented absurd]] and [[https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/17/arts/television/the-crown-mario-brenna-diana-dodi-fayed-photo.html completely invented]]" and that no one leaked information about the yacht's whereabouts to him, he just was in the right place at the right time.

* {{Foil}}: He's a hip, vigorous globe-trotting famous photographer, and his flashy work about celebrities is presented as a counterpoint of the classic, dull and somber Duncan Muir in the episode "Two Photographs".

* {{Foil}}: A traditional, somber, humble country photographer, presented as the reverse image of Marion Brenna in "Two Photographs".

* TheAce: He calls himself the best in the profession and is a celebrity on his own, which is why Al-Fayed hires him.
* {{Foil}}: He's a hip, vigorous globe-trotter famous photographer, and his flashy work about celebrities is presented as a counterpoint of the classic, dull and somber Duncan Muir in the episode "Two Photographs".
* SmallRoleBigImpact: He's hired, does his job in just a bunch of scenes and then dissapears from the narrative. His work however causes a tremendous lasting impact, the photos unleashes a world-wide phenomenon, and are so well remunerated that they trigger the media frenzy around the couple that would end tragically in Paris.

* MarriedToTheJob: Midly, he has a traditional uneventful life and seems happily married, but is passionate about the royal family and his wife sometimes jokes that he loves the Queen more than her.

* DrunkDriver: Dodi unexpectedly asks Henri to shuttle them back to his apartment from the Ritz in the early hours. A lingering shot of the multiple limoncellos that Henri has consumed, and his bleary-eyed, slightly confused expression make it clear that he is in no fit state to drive. Hurtling along Pont de L'Alma at dangerously high speeds, a DiscretionShot from the point of view of a late-night dog walker, followed by the sound of the car hitting a concrete pillar, signifies the worst has happened.

-> '''Played by:''' Mark Lewis Jones\\\

!! Madame Monique Ritz (née Ramseier) [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b9b95f4c_b9bd_41b9_a8cb_bf8a39c1083e.jpeg]]

-> '''Played by:''' Colin Morgan\\\

!! Madame Monique Ritz
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b9b95f4c_b9bd_41b9_a8cb_bf8a39c1083e.jpeg]]

!!Mr (later Sir) Denis Thatcher

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: In 1995, Martin Bashir was a relatively unknown journalist and none of his machinations (in terms of securing his interview with Diana) were in the public sphere; following the interview, he and ''Series/{{Panorama}}'' received several awards for it, and Bashir went on to interview other famous people like Music/MichaelJackson. However, much like Prince Andrew, Bashir is given a significant HistoricalVillainUpgrade, as 25 years after the ''Panorama'' interview, his deceit was made public after he was subject to a detailed investigation and found guilty by the Supreme Court of using "deceitful methods" and breaching BBC editorial conduct to obtain the interview. Following this, the BBC actually returned the BAFTA award than ''Panorama'' had been given for Best Talk Show in 1996 (which had been awarded mainly on the back of the Diana interview).

!!Mr John Birt, Director-General of the BBC (later Baron Birt of Liverpool)

* TheQuisling: Debated. Ward was a colourful character: by trade, an osteopath, but also a socialite, artist, and—most unfortunately for Profumo—a rumoured Soviet ally. He introduced escort Christine Keeler to Yevgeny Ivanov, a Soviet spy working undercover at his country's embassy in London, to extract information from Profumo. 
* {{Scandalgate}}: He became intrinsically linked to the "Profumo Affair", detailed in Series 2 finale episode "Mystery Man", which refers to the scandal surrounding the War Secretary John Profumo's extra-marital affair with Christine Keeler after Ward introduced them to one another. During Keeler’s brief relationship with Profumo, she was said to have also been romantically involved with Captain Yevgeny Ivanov, a Soviet naval attache who was also involved in espionage. Keeler was feared to have passed information about Profumo to Ivanov.

* StrikeEpisode: As leader of the NUM, episodes in which he appears are set against the backdrop of the miner’s strikes of the early 70s.

* FirstNameBasis: Ironically. As anyone who's read Creator/PgWodehouse would know, a proper valet is always on a LastNameBasis, to the extent one should be vaguely unsure of what his first name even ''is''. However, both the Duke of Windsor and Al-Fayed call him Sydney rather than Johnson, and even Sydney the etiquette expert seems fine with it.

* TokenMinority: He’s the sole black character of note in the entire series, though given the predominantly period setting and focus on the Royal Family’s circle, it’s not particularly surprising.

!!Mr Denis Thatcher

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: While Mark ''did'' do business in South Africa, in RealLife it was likely because of his father's strong ties and business dealings there, and it was likely ''Denis'' who played a part in Thatcher's hardline against sanctions there. Denis' support for the apartheid regime is completely excised here, in favor of Mark's awfulness and him being a CoolOldGuy.
* NiceGuy: Good-natured, good-humored, down-to-earth, holds his children to equal standards, and loving to his powerful wife.
* NiceToTheWaiter: Played with. He tips the maid who helps his wife get settled in at Balmoral. Though she protests that it's not supposed to be done until the stay is over, Denis insists and promises that he won't tell anyone — although this is presented as a bit crass and yet another faux pas, seemingly making the maid uncomfortable .

* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: As per RealLife. His wife's intense fervor and drive made her Prime Minister of the UK for eleven straight years. Part of Denis's support was providing her with calm, perspective, and his much better people skills.

!!Michael Fagan

* CharacterTitle: The episode in which he appears is simply titled ''Fagan''.

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: The real Fagan had much more obvious mental issues and acted more like a StalkerWithACrush to Elizabeth, saying he loved her and threatening to kill himself with a piece of glass from the window he broke to get in. He also went on to become a heroin dealer.

* SpeakTruthToPower: He has the nerve (with some help of liquid courage) to be able to tell the Queen just how bad [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking this country is doing under the Thatcher Administration, his dismal life, and how shabby the palace looks]].
* SympatheticPOV: Breaking in, confronting and frightening anyone in their own bedroom is nothing short of appalling. Here, he’s presented as a gob-shite and a clearly a bit of a thug, but also that he does have a point about how broken the country is, and ultimately the episode presents his behaviour as mind-blowing ballsiness.
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: In keeping with the SympatheticPOV with which he is portrayed, his eponymous episode concludes with an epiloguous note that mentions his incarceration, but cheekily cuts to a follow up note which states that he only served three months, alongside an image of him and other rogues defiantly grinning like some heroic anarchists.

[[folder:Dr. Penelope Carter]]
!!Dr. Penelope Carter

A journalist who ingratiates himself into Diana's circle. In 1992, he publishes a tell-all biography of her life entitled ''Diana: Her True Story''.

* MaliciousSlander: No one is off-limits. To gain Diana's trust, he presents a list of fake invoices for parties whom he claims have received payment for spying on her, including her household staff, her beloved Private Secretary, Patrick Jephson and, when he gets desperate after Diana wobbles, her own brother, Charles Spencer. While it's undoubtedly a risky strategy, as such evidence could be disproven, Diana is a relatively gullible, hurt, already-paranoid person and his gambit pays off, as she never directly confronts any of the parties slandered.
* ManipulativeBastard: He lacks all journalistic integrity and plays on Diana’s paranoia, contriving entirely false allegations of spying to gain her trust. He even picks up on her predilection for Pakistani men, playing up his heritage with references and proverbs and even equivocating racial prejudice with Diana's treatment, when in fact he'd always, as his colleague notes, firmly presented himself as British.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: In 1995, Martin Bashir was a relatively unknown journalist and none of his machinations (in terms of securing his interview with Diana) were in the public sphere. However, much like Prince Andrew, Bashir is given a significant HistoricalVillainUpgrade, as 25 years after the ''Series/{{Panorama}}'' interview, his deceit was made public after he was subject to a detailed investigation and found guilty by the Supreme Court of using "deceitful methods" and breaching BBC editorial conduct to obtain the interview.

* WhamEpisode: The BBC series ''Series/{{Panorama}}'' has been going since 1953, but its most shockingly memorable episode, ''An Interview with HRH The Princess of Wales'', was like nothing ever seen before, with Diana no-holds-barred tearing into The Firm like no one had ''ever'' done before so publically and explosively.

!!Mr John Birt, Director-General of the BBC 

* [[CallingTheOldManOut Calling The Old Lady Out]]: Carol attempts to chastise her mother for her attitude towards other women and how she treats them (including her) with disdain.

* WidowWoman: Her late husband, Charles Ritz, was the son of legendary Swiss hotelier César Ritz, the "King of Hoteliers, and Hotelier to Kings”. The dynasty died with her in 2011.

* TheGenericGuy: Norma is a softly-spoken, perfectly pleasant woman, and compared to prime ministerial spouses like the grand stature and humor of Clementine Churchill, the pompous Dorothy Macmillan, the witty Denis Thatcher, and the grinning exuberance of Cherie Blair, she comes across as a little mousey and bland — which is famously how she was always spoofed, along with her husband.

-> '''Played by:''' Connie M'Gadzah (Season 3), Joshua Kekana (young, Season 3) Jude Akuwudike (older, Season 5)\\\

-> '''Played by:''' Connie M'Gadzah (Season 3), Jude Akuwudike (Season 5)\\\

* AscendedExtra: Johnson is at first a valet in the background with his part amounting to TheCameo and almost no reason to believe he'd appear again, but in Season 5 he returns for an episode that gives him a much more substantial role, goes all the way up to his own death, and shows his resting place in Paris.

* TheGenericGuy: Norma is a softly-spoken, perfectly pleasant woman, and compared to prime ministerial spouses like the pompous Dorothy Macmillan, the witty Denis Thatcher, and the grinning exuberance of Cherie Blair, she comes across as a little mousey and bland — which is famously how she was always spoofed, along with her husband.

* TrademarkFavouriteFood: As a wry ShoutOut to a recurring gag on the satirical puppet show ''Series/SpittingImage'', which presented her husband as being so deathly dull that peas were all he ate (and discussed), Norma serves John a large serving of peas for dinner.

* HappilyMarried: Despite John's devotion to his role and the Royal Family, Norma doesn’t give him any grief about the long hours he works, quietly accepting that it comes with the territory, even if she’d prefer him to spend more time with her and the children.

* HappilyMarried: Despite John's devotion to his role and the Royal Family, Norma doesn’t give him any grief about the long hours he works, accepting that it comes with the territory, even if she’d prefer him to spend more time with her and the children.

* NinetiesHair: Her hair is cropped in a similar teased pixie as the Princess of Wales.
* HappilyMarried: Despite John's devotion to his role and the Royal Family, he and Norma appear to be of the same mind.

!!Norma Major DBE

[[folder: Andrew Morton]]
!!Mr Andrew Morton
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2022_11_09_at_171445.png]]
->'''Played By:''' Andrew Steele\\\

A journalist who ingratiates himself into Diana's circle. In 1992, he publishes a tell-all biography of her life entitled ''Diana: Her True Story''.

* BlatantLies: Morton befriends Diana's confidante, Dr James Colthurst, and with him acting as a go-between, Diana begins recording answers to the questions Morton poses, with his aim being to publish a work "in her own words". However, after he receives a BreakInThreat, and Diana is admonished by Prince Philip over the sanctity of privacy, the pair change tack, and Morton goes on national television claiming all of the (highly personal) information in his book was gleaned from "Diana's close friends".
* ExactWords: "I can categorically state that I have not interviewed the princess."
* GoingForTheBigScoop: Diana's phone at Kensington Palace is hacked, and it becomes apparent that the Palace is well aware of Morton's intentions when a warning for him to back off is sent his way in the form of his house being broken into and trashed.
* IntrepidReporter: He's a tabloid hack, though Diana concedes that his coverage of her has been quite kind in the past, and after lurking about following the princess' every move, he approaches her trusted friend with a view to landing the biggest scoop of all -- a tell-all interview with the princess herself.

[[folder: Monique Ritz]]
!! Madame Monique Ritz
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b9b95f4c_b9bd_41b9_a8cb_bf8a39c1083e.jpeg]]

->'''Played By:''' Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu\\\

The head of the Ritz family and owner of the Ritz Hotel in Paris. In 1979, she sells the hotel to Mohamed Al-Fayed.

* BullyingADragon: With barely-concealed hauteur, she expresses her concerns over Al-Fayed buying her hotel, and lists her reasons for finding him an unsuitable new owner. Her tone galvanises Al-Fayad, and he rounds on her in Arabic (translated by Dodi), putting her in her place as a ham-strapped vendor.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Scenes at the Ritz Hotel provide a grim portent of Diana and Dodi’s deaths, as it is from the hotel’s rear entrance that they will make their fatal journey on the 31st of August, 1997.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: She sells her family’s prize jewel hotel to a man she finds suspicious, shady, unqualified in hotel management, financially sketchy, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and plain rude]], but his monetary offer is higher than others, and she relents.
* {{Socialite}}: She’s a beautiful, elegant older woman and is a leading light of the Paris social scene.
* WidowWoman: Her late husband, Charles Ritz, was the son of legendary Swiss hotelier César Ritz, the "King of Hoteliers, and Hotelier to Kings”. The dynasty died with her in 2011.

[[folder: Martin Bashir]]
!!Mr Martin Bashir
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/martinbashir.jpg]]

->'''Played By:''' Prasanna Puwanarajah\\\

A BBC journalist who famously interviews Diana, Princess of Wales for an explosive episode of ''Series/{{Panorama}}''.

* ShesGotLegs: As expected from a ballerina, she has long, slender, graceful legs.

* ShesGotLegs: The famous Arne Jacobsen chair portrait also displays her very long legs.

* MaliciousSlander: No one is off-limits. To gain Diana's trust, he presents a list of fake invoices for parties who he claims have received payment for spying on her, including her household staff, her beloved Private Secretary, Patrick Jephson and, when he gets desperate after Diana wobbles, her own brother, Charles Spencer. While it's undoubtedly a risky strategy, as such evidence could be disproven, Diana is a relatively gullible, hurt, already-paranoid person and his gambit pays off, as she never directly confronts any of the parties slandered.