History Characters / TheCrown2016TheRoyalHousehold

* RoyalFavorite: Having already had a working relationship with Charteris as Princess, Queen Elizabeth initially chooses Martin as Private Secretary over his senior Adene, explicitly considering the former better for the role and more supportive. This prompts the retiring incumbent Lascelles to intervene and convince her otherwise in order to adhere to tradition. Charteris' later, extraordinarily long tenure as Private Secretary (roughly 1970-1990, from Wilson to Thatcher) indicates that the Queen remains very fond of him.

* LongRunner: Charteris was the longest-serving Assistant Private Secretary to the Sovereign, with two decades of service (1952 until 1972). In the show, he's also the incumbent Private Assistant for another two decades, deep into TheEighties. In RealLife Charteris was Private Secretary for just 5 years and left the Queen's service in 1977.

* LongRunner: In RealLife Charteris left the Queen's service in 1977. In the show he's still there through Season 4, deep into TheEighties.

* OneDegreeOfSeparation: His wife is socially connected with half England. It makes some information to be spread quickly, such as Martin's failed attempt to replace Lascelles or the Parker's divorce.

'''Tommy:''' Martin, I shall leave the drawing of that inescapable conclusssion to you.

-->'''Tommy:''' But as always, the final say is with you, Ma'am

* TookALevelInBadass: Slightly. By Season 3, he's overall more confident and bossy, having grown more assertive and less spineless.:
* YesMan: He's completely deferential and submissive to Lascelles, even when Tommy is already retired. Adene is shown chuckling during several smirk-inducing verbal smackdown of his boss.

-->'''Tommy:''' But as always, the final says is with you, Ma'am

* HyperCompetentSidekick: By the time Elizabeth ascends to the throne, Lascelles has been at least Assistant Private Secretary to the previous three king-emperors, so it's only natural that he throws his weight around. He would never cesase to point out potential mistakes, but is [[AndAnotherThing ultimately]] deferential to the Sovereign, ''allowing'' the young Elizabeth the last word.

* HyperCompetentSidekick: By the time Elizabeth ascends to the throne, Lascelles has been at least Assistant Private Secretary to the previous three king-emperors, so it's only natural that he throws his weight around.

* NoSympathy: Unconcerned with the emotional impact of Margaret and Peter Townsend's forced separation.

* TookALevelInBadass: Slightly. By Season 3, he's overall more confident and bossy, having grown more assertive and less spineless.

* OneDegreeOfSeparation: His wife is socially connected with half England. It makes some information to be spread quickly, such as Martin's failed attempt replace Lascelles or the Parker's divorce.

-->'''Tommy:''' [[IfIHadANickel If I had a shilling]] for every time someone of a progressive or liberal disposition had warned needlessly of a popular attack- The newspapers. People. against the Crown, I would be a rich man. [...]\\

* SmugSnake: Downplayed, he's so competently dominant that the disdainful way he treat others is rarely uncalled for, but he can be over-confident, condescending and too pleased with himself on occasion. Notably, he brushes off the well-based concerns of Charteris over the old-fashioned, paternalistic speech that the Queen is going to give at the Jaguar factory. Martin is proven righ and fallout ensues.
-->'''Tommy:''' [[IfIHadANickel If I had a shilling]] for every time someone of a progressive or liberal disposition had warned needlessly of a popular attack- The newspapers. People. against the Crown, I would be a rich man. [...] ''(launches into a long, coercive diatribe on why the Queen is safe from media attacks)\\

* KarmaHoudini: Downplayed. The ''one'' time he's proven to be wrong (in the case of a tone-deaf speech) and Elizabeth has a chance to call out her conservative staff and threaten to fire Adeane and others of the old guard, she has no idea he endorsed the speech and he's already retired.

* NotSoAboveItAll: He expresses clear irritation at Elizabeth for moving one of the figures on his battlefield (behind her back, of course). The figures where a gift from her grandfather King George V no less, and clearly have a special place in Tommy's heart for it.

* NotSoAboveItAll: He expresses clear irritation at Elizabeth for moving one of the figures on his battlefield (behind her back, of course).

* TookALevelInBadass: Slighty. By Season 3, he's overall more confident and bossy, having grown more assertive and less spineless.

* TookALevelInBadass: By Season 3, he's overall more confident and bossy, having grown more assertive and less spineless.

* BeardOfEvil: Philip resents the more conservative courtiers, or "the moustaches," who restrict his behaviour. To make him feel better, the Queen asks Michael to shave his moustache. He complies.

* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: After Elizabeth tells off the Duke of Windsor, a very tipsy Philip comes home at night and reveals he spent the evening drinking to Elizabeth's victory with the Queen Mother ''and Tommy''--both of whom, to hear him tell it, got even drunker than he did.

* SilentSnarker: Without saying a word, he comments whole scenes with his unamused face alone. He also has a unique way to use prolonged silences and acute punctuation in the middle of his conversations to engulf his interlocutor in derision.

* BeleagueredAssistant: He acts as the Queen's Private Secretary through the most tumultuous part of her reign, and when first encountered he's desperately trying to stop her from seeing a Sunday Times poll in which a chunk of the populace have voted in favour of her stepping down in Charles' favour.

* SatelliteCharacter: By definion of the office, all the Private Secretaries gravitate around the the Sovereign, but the Secretaries when Elizabeth was young and inexperienced (Lascelles and to a lesser extent, Adene and Charteris) are given characterization and their own independent scenes, which is not the case with Fellowes in the 90s.

* CelebCrush: Briefly becomes this to hordes of squeeing girls after the story of his and Margaret's romance first breaks.

* BackForTheDead: In the 90's he comes back into Margaret's life after a decades-long separation to see her again and returns her letters, because he finally reveals he's been given a terminal diagnosis by his doctor. He's given a memorial card in the episode's end credits.

* HyperCompetentSideKick: By the time Elizabeth ascends to the throne, Lascelles has been at least Assistant Private Secretary to the previous three king-emperors, so it's only natural that he throws his weight around.

* MinorMajorCharacter: As the Queen ages, the narrative importance of the Private Secretaries diminishes considerably, with Fellowes being little more than a BitCharacter. Just compare his entry with the amount of tropes related to Lascelles, Adene or Charteris, the Secretaries when Elizabeth was young and unexperienced.