History Characters / TheCrown2016TheRoyalHousehold

A former RAF commander and equerry to King George VI. By the time of the King's death and Elizabeth's elevation to the throne, he has been in a secret relationship with Princess Margaret for several years. The two are devoted to each other, but numerous public and personal obstacles to their relationship will test this devotion.

* TallDarkAndHandsome: Well, he is played by Ben Miles, and then Franchise/JamesBond himself, Creator/TimothyDalton, in later life.

** The show only briefly mentions that he was married and had children. His wife, Joan, was a daughter of a former Viceroy of India and First Lord of the Admiralty, and they remained married until her death in 1971. They had two daughters, Lavinia and Caroline, and one son, John, who died of illness in his late 20s.

* ADayInTheLimelight: His weight and importance as the main royal counselor is finally given some focus in the Season 6 episode "Ruritarina", in which he resigns.

->'''Played By''': Creator/BenMiles (Season 1), Creator/TimothyDalton (Season 5)\\\

* AgeGapRomance: There was a 16 year age gap between him and Margaret. And a more extreme example of this trope would be his marriage to a 19-year-old -- when he was 45.

!!Mr Robin Janvrin, 22nd Private Secretary to the Sovereign

!!Mr Robin Janvrin, Deputy Private Secretary to the Sovereign

->[[center:[[Characters/TheCrown2016 Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/TheCrown2016TheBritishRoyalFamily The British Royal Family]] | [[Characters/TheCrown2016RelativesOfTheRoyalFamily Relatives of the Royal Family]] | [[Characters/TheCrown2016FriendsAndAcquaintancesOfTheRoyalFamily Friends & Acquaintances of the Royal Family]] | [[Characters/TheCrown2016HerMajestysGovernment Her Majesty's Government]] | '''The Royal Household''' | [[Characters/TheCrown2016ForeignDignitariesAndLeaders Foreign Dignitaries and Leaders]] | [[Characters/TheCrown2016OtherCharacters Other Characters]]]]

* BearerOfBadNews: He's the one who delivers the news about Diana's fatal accident to the Queen while at Balmoral. [[note]]In real life, the Queen first heard the news from Prince Charles, both the accident and Diana's death.[[/note]]

* BearerOfBadNews: It comes with the job description. It befalls to Fellowes to tell the Queen the many controversies generated mostly by Charles and/or Diana. Notably averted with the news of Diana's accident, which are related by the deputy private secretary Robin Janvrin in the show. [[note]]In real life, the Queen first heard the news from Prince Charles, both the accident and Diana's death.[[/note]]

* BearerOfBadNews: He's the one who delivers the news about Diana's fatal accident to the Queen while at Balmoral.

* BearerOfBadNews: It comes with the job description. It befalls to Fellowes to tell the Queen the many controversies generated mostly by Charles and/or Diana.

* MinorMajorCharacter: As the Queen ages, the narrative importance of the Private Secretaries diminishes considerably, with Fellowes being reduced to a SatelliteCharacter.

* MaliciousMisnaming: Almost always referred to as "Group Captain" with scorn by Tommy Lascelles, who uses the rank to put Townsend in what he considers Peter's proper place while despising the closeness to Margaret.

->'''Played By''': Ben Miles (Season 1), Creator/TimothyDalton (Season 5)\\\

* FashionDesigner: A coterie of débutantes and their mothers chose Hartnell to design pieces for 'The Season' in London, as well as society weddings and court presentations, picking him over his Parisian rivals. He soon became a favourite of the glamorous stars of the silver screen, including Creator/ElizabethTaylor, Creator/VivienLeigh and Creator/MarleneDietrich.

* BackForTheDead: In the 90s 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.

!!Captain Timothy Laurence
See Characters/TheCrown2016TheBritishRoyalFamily

!!Mrs Sarah Lindsay

* RoyalDecree: In 1935 his fortunes sky-rocketed after another society bride -- Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott, who was marrying Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester -- commissioned him to make not only her dress but those of her bridesmaids - Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. Their mother, the then Duchess of York (and future Queen Mother) was impressed by Hartnell's work, and became a client, with a white Hartnell mourning wardrobe becoming iconic during a visit to Paris in 1938. So too did Queen Mary, as well as Princess Marina.

* TheBadGuyWins: Even after he is outed as a Soviet mole, the British Government is inclined to brush it all under the carpet, and even let him keep his position at the Palace, lest his infiltration ruin the reputation of the UK's intelligence services.

-->'''''Tommy Lascelles''''' \\\

->'''Martin:''' Sir, forgive me if I'm interfering beyond my station... [[RightBehindMe Tommy...]]\\
'''Tommy:''' Martin... You were about to ''interfere'' beyond your station.\\\

-> ''"What a question!"''\\\

!!!Equerries and Private Secretaries

[[folder:Peter Townsend]]
!!Group Captain Peter Townsend

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3f894a9c_f6e7_4533_b437_5a6d406343ab.jpeg]]
[[quoteright:300:[[labelnote:Click here]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1db318a5_ae55_4395_8daf_ef346ed5ae61.jpeg[[/labelnote]] to see him in Season 5]]

->'''Played By''': Ben Miles (Season 1), Creator/TimothyDalton (Season 5)\\\

A former RAF commander and equerry to King George VI. By the time of the King's death and Elizabeth's elevation to the throne, he has been in a secret relationship with Princess Margaret for several years. The two are devoted to each other, but numerous public and personal obstacles to their relationship will test this devotion.

* AcePilot: He was a Hurricane pilot during [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII the Battle of Britain]] and logged several confirmed kills, although he is hesitant to speak about his wartime experiences.
* AgeGapRomance: There was a 16 year age gap between him and Margaret. And a more extreme example of this trope would be his marriage to a 19-year-old -- when he was 45.
* AmicableExes: He and Margaret are very happy to be reunited, although they remain StarCrossedLovers. Also reportedly, with his ex-wife.
* BackForTheDead: In the 90s 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.
* TheBusCameBack: Last seen way back in Series 1, where his relationship with Princess Margaret is scuppered by Royal veto, he returns to the show in Series 5. In “Annus Horribilis”, he and Margaret are briefly reunited and memories both happy and bitter come flooding back. They share a brief kiss before saying goodbye once again.
* GroupieBrigade: After the story of his and Margaret's romance first breaks, he becomes popular overnight, with hordes of squeeing girls following his every move.
* HumbleHero: When Philip brings up his dashing war record, Peter is deflective, answering he downed one or two planes. In reality, Townsend got 9 confirmed aerial victories, 2 shared and 2 more unconfirmed before he became equerry to the King in 1944.
* InformedAbility: It's stated that despite the collapse of his marriage, he's a good father to his children. We never see this side of him.
* LongDistanceRelationship: He is sent to Brussels away from Margaret with the secret hope that time and distance will break the relationship. They don't.
* MaliciousMisnaming: Almost always referred to as "Group Captain" with scorn by Tommy Lascelles, who uses the rank to put Townsend in what he considers Peter's proper place while despising the closeness to Margaret.
* ManlyTears: As he prepares to depart England after breaking off his engagement to Princess Margaret, he breaks down sobbing.
* MeaningfulLook: Exchanges one of these with Margaret at breakfast. Elizabeth picks up on this.
* MoreThanJustATeacher: Philip handpicks Peter to be his flight instructor. Townsend was also the instructor of future George VI in 1935.
* MovingTheGoalposts: He is sent away from Margaret until she turns 25, with the promise that they could marry when the time comes. Then it turns out the Royal Marriage Act has additional conditions to be met that prevents their marriage.
* OldRetainer: Middle-aged, yet known by Elizabeth and Margaret since childhood. It's subverted after King George VI dies, when Peter is kept on retainer serving the Queen Mother but Tommy Lascelles is quick to sever the ties.
* TheOneThatGotAway: Margaret views him like this for decades.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: Appointed air attaché at the Brussels British Embassy, which is just an honourable manner to exile him away from Margaret.
* SecretRelationship: Peter and Margaret try to keep their romance hidden, but that only works for a limited time.
-->'''Tommy:''' You're probably telling yourself that because no one has confronted you about it that no one can know. Allow me to disabuse you of that delusion.
* SilverFox: Even in his 70s, Peter is an incredibly handsome chap and Princess Margaret is clearly still smitten almost 40 years after they first fell in love and were separated by royal veto.
* StarCrossedLover: His romance with Princess Margaret has too many obstacles to overcome, including his age and divorced status, and is finally ended by a Royal veto.
* TheStoic: To the extent that Philip considers him far too dull to marry Margaret.
-->'''Philip''': I’m convinced I’ve met more interesting ''plants.''
* TallDarkAndHandsome: Well, he is played by Ben Miles, and then Franchise/JamesBond himself, Creator/TimothyDalton, in later life.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He's dying by the time he reconnects with Margaret in 1992. The ending of "Annus Horribilis" shows that he died in 1995.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tommy Lascelles]]
!!Sir Alan "Tommy" Lascelles, 16th Private Secretary to the Sovereign
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_crown_season_3_1703494.jpg]]

->'''Played By''': Creator/PipTorrens

-> ''"You need to understand how things are done here."''\\\

Private Secretary to King George VI, and Elizabeth's first Private Secretary upon becoming Queen. A stoic, reserved and formal man, he is devoted to serving and protecting the monarchy -- at any cost.

----

!!!Other Members of the Royal Household

[[folder:The Duke of Norfolk]]
!!The Most Noble Bernard Marmaduke Fitzalan-Howard, 16th Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal
[[quoteright:196:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dukeofnorfolk.jpg]]

->'''Played By''': Patrick Ryecart\\\

The highest ranking non-royal duke, he orchestrates Elizabeth's Coronation in 1953.

* BlueBlood: The title 'Duke of Norfolk' is the premier duke in the peerage of England (and his secondary title, as Earl of Arundel, means he's also the premier earl). The title is an ancient one (dating back to the 12th Century at least), however his direct line begins in 1483 with his ancestor John Howard, who inherited the title through his mother's line.
* TheGoodChancellor: He ranks highest of all non-royals in the land, and as Duke of Norfolk, he is also Earl Marshal and Hereditary Marshal of England. In that capacity, in "Smoke and Mirrors", the Duke helps to organise the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth. Off-screen, he also helped to organise the state funerals of King George VI in 1952 and of Winston Churchill in 1965.
* GoodOldWays: Having presided over George VI's coronation, his father over George V's, and going back even further, his ancestor the 4th Duke over Elizabeth I's, His Grace is understandably sensitive when Elizabeth requests that Philip take control of her coronation with far more carte blanche than would be traditional. He's outright revolted at the thought of TV cameras capturing the sacred moment, for starters.

[[folder:Bobo [=MacDonald=]]]
!!Miss Margaret "Bobo" [=MacDonald=], the Queen's Dresser 
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bobo.png]]

->'''Played By''': Lizzie [=McInnerny=]\\\

The longest-standing member of the Household, serving the Queen since birth, first as a nursemaid, then as the young Princess' nanny, and finally as her dresser.
----

* AffectionateNickname: She was never known as anything but 'Bobo' -- said to be the first word the Queen uttered. In "Fagan", the unsuspecting Queen murmurs "morning, Bobo" when in fact it's Palace intruder Michael Fagan drawing back the curtains.
* TheConfidant: In her later years, Bobo held a unique position in Buckingham Palace, having her own suite, no duties and enjoying a closer personal friendship with the Queen than practically anyone else, including some of the Queen’s closest relatives.
* FriendlyAddressPrivileges: She was said to have been the ''only'' person outside the Royal Family allowed to call the Queen by her nickname, “Lilibet.”
* OldRetainer: Her service is likely the longest of any royal staff member at a whopping 67 years, serving Elizabeth from cradle to late middle-age.
* PrincessForADay: On Bobo's birthday each year, the Queen is believed to [[SwappedRoles have returned the favour]] and took her dresser a cup of tea.
* RankUp: From humble under-nurse, to nursemaid, nanny, dresser, and finally the highest honour of all, ''personal friend'' of the Queen. 
* UndyingLoyalty: Goes without saying after a tenure as long as hers.

%%[[folder:Lord Chamberlain]]
%%!!The Right Honourable Lawrence Roger Lumley, Lord Chamberlain of the Household
%%->'''Played By''': Patrick Drury
%%[[/folder]]

%%[[folder:Dr. Weir]]
%%!!Doctor Sir John Weir, Physician to the King
%%->'''Played By''': James Laurenson
%%[[/folder]]

[[folder:Donald Green]]
!!Detective Donald Green
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2021_01_11_at_174105.png]]

->'''Played by''': Martin Marquez\\\

The Royal Detective who accompanies Prince Charles to school and is his only source of comfort whilst there.

* FairCop: Green stood six feet five, dressed well, drove a Land Rover, and seemed “slightly James Bond-ish” to the other boys at Gordonstoun.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: Charles' friendship with Green, more readily made than with his peers, set the prince’s lifelong pattern of seeking company with his elders, as Camilla snarks to Diana over lunch.
* PapaWolf: Wraps a vast paw around Charles after his disastrous performance in the Gordonstoun Challenge[[note]] a militaristic orienteering task where teams of boys compete to tackle a huge variety of physical and mental tasks, usually under time pressure[[/note]], shielding him from Prince Philip's witheringly disappointed stare.
* ParentalSubstitute: A crucial day-to-day support for Charles, Green is yet another father figure and Charles’s one constant friend, although there's little he can do about the abuse that occurs within the dormitories at Gordonstoun.
* TheScapegoat: In RealLife, the Metropolitan Police fired Green, robbing Charles of an ally and confidant, after the young prince (then aged 14) ordered a brandy at a pub (unbeknownst to Green) while in his charge on a school trip and the infamously baying tabloid press got wind of it.

[[folder:Anthony Blunt]]
!!Sir Anthony Blunt, Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ablunt.png]]

->'''Played by''': Creator/SamuelWest\\\

A leading British art historian and Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures, who is revealed to be a former Soviet spy.

* TheBadGuyWins: Even after he is outed as a Soviet mole, the British Government is inclined to brush it all under the carpet, and even let him keep his position at the Palace, lest his infiltration ruin the reputation of the UK's intelligence services.
* {{Blackmail}}: After he is outed as a Soviet mole, Prince Philip finds him alone at an event and threateningly tells him to slink away, never to return. However, Blunt coldly retorts that he has access to incriminating portraits of the Prince that could link him to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profumo_affair Profumo affair]], causing the Prince to immediately back off.
* TheMole: Formerly. While Blunt was indeed one of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Five Cambridge Five]] who spied for the USSR, he no longer works for them at the time of the series — part of the reason he is allowed to continue in his job, before being publicly disgraced at a later date.
* TreacherousAdvisor: Played with. Was once treacherous but is no longer actively so. In his art advisory capacity he's quite helpful to the Queen, which makes his revealed betrayal in other aspects sting all the more.
* TreacheryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: So furious is the Queen when she finds out about his treachery, but is still compelled to behave politely during a speech in his honour, that she not-so-subtly alludes to his duplicity with a succession of loaded comments.

[[folder:Dean Robin Woods]]
!!The Very Reverend Robin Woods, Dean of Windsor
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/robinwoods.png]]

->'''Played by''': Tim [=McMullan=]\\\

The Dean of Windsor who starts to use the empty St. George's House as a place of retreat and reflection for other clergymen and becomes a confidant for Prince Philip.

* TheConfidant: He and his support group of clergymen become this for Philip at the end of "Moondust" after his talk with the astronauts fail to impress him.
* GoodShepherd: A selfless man who creates what was then a comparatively new concept -- a safe-space to discuss one's problems in an open, non-judgmental forum.
* OddFriendship: An epiloguous note at the end of “Moondust” mentions that the irascible, manly, emotionally-tough Prince Philip remained life-long friends with the gentle, caring and emotionally-sensitive Woods.
* SaintlyChurch: His church is very much of the "rich tea and sympathy" variety, and quite progressive for the time period.

[[folder:Michael Shea]]
!!Mr Michael Shea, Press Secretary to the Sovereign

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b377be5f_66ff_41a4_ae81_67daca4edfda.jpeg]]

->'''Played By''': Nicholas Farrell\\\

Senior press secretary for Buckingham Palace and an aspiring literary novelist.

* TheCassandra: He's absolutely insistent that taking the Queen's rift with Margaret Thatcher over apartheid sanctions public is a terrible idea. No one listens to him.
* ChekhovsSkill: His writing abilities come in very handy to get the truculent Thatcher to agree to using economic "signals" with regards to South Africa, [[ExactWords although she agreed due to using it for her own contrary purposes]].
* PurpleProse: The excerpt of his novel is entirely, impenetrably this, sounding like Shea swallowed an academic thesaurus. (Although the thesaurus part turns out to be his ChekhovsSkill.) For whatever reason, possibly his connections, his editor does praise him and say that he really knows how to tell a story — [[HypocriticalHumor and has he ever considered writing something else]]?
* TheScapegoat: Because he's TheCassandra, he then ends up having to fall on his sword and resign over the crisis that ensues without so much as an apology.
* ShootTheMessenger: He ends up having to indulge Elizabeth’s temperamental and misguided instinct over his protests, then having to take the rap for the crisis it creates and resign, while being told it was his fault as pro forma, and without so much as a "thank you" or "sorry". Making it even worse is the way he already vehemently defended the Palace to his editor and swore his UndyingLoyalty earlier in the episode.
* UndyingLoyalty: Becomes saddened (and offended) when his editor even suggests that he could use his job as material for fiction, and indignantly protests that his professional loyalty and ethics would never let him do such a thing. [[TakeThat The show then implies he started writing political thrillers and became successful as a result of his ungrateful treatment by the Palace]][[labelnote:*]] Although it's not true. In RealLife he'd written similar things before[[/labelnote]].

[[folder:Sarah Lindsay]]
!!Mrs Sarah Lindsay
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sarahlindsay.png]]

->'''Played By''': Alana Ramsey\\\

An employee in the Palace press office, who works together with Michael Shea.

* ChekhovsGunman: "Avalanche" reveals that 'Sarah from the press office' in earlier episodes is Sarah ''Lindsay'', wife of Major Hugh Lindsay, the only man killed in the 1988 group skiing trip.
* SomeoneToRememberHimBy: She was pregnant with her daughter Alice at the time of her husband's death. Prince Charles is godfather to her.

!!!Artisans by Royal Appointment

[[folder:Sir Norman Hartnell]]
!!Sir Norman Bishop Hartnell, Dressmaker to the Queen
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/normanhartnell.png]]

->'''Played By''': Richard Clifford\\\

A leading British fashion designer, Hartnell gained a Royal Warrant for his work for the ladies of the Royal Family.

* CampGay: He's depicted as flamboyant and theatrical, and in RealLife Hartnell did have relationships with men, but utterly discreetly, as homosexuality was still illegal in the United Kingdom until 1967.
* FashionDesigner: A coterie of débutantes and their mothers chose Hartnell to design pieces for 'The Season' in London, as well as society weddings and court presentations, picking him over his Parisian rivals. He soon became a favourite of the glamorous stars of the silver screen, including Creator/ElizabethTaylor, Creator/VivienLeigh and Creator/MarleneDietrich.
* RoyalDecree: In 1935 his fortunes sky-rocketed after another society bride -- Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott, who was marrying Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester -- commissioned him to make not only her dress but those of her bridesmaids - Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. Their mother, the then Duchess of York (and future Queen Mother) was impressed by Hartnell's work, and became a client, with a white Hartnell mourning wardrobe becoming iconic during a visit to Paris in 1938. So too did Queen Mary, as well as Princess Marina.
* SelfMadeMan: Hartnell came from a humble family (his father was a publican), but he managed to acquire a place at Cambridge, which gave him access to the upper-classes and a clientele of fashion-conscious débutantes and their mothers.
* TrueCraftsman: Responsible for designing the pieces worn by the Queen on the most important days of her life, as seen in-series -- including her 1947 wedding to Prince Philip and her 1953 Coronation, not to mention countless ensembles she wears on her overseas tours -- Hartnell more than earned his Royal Warrant.

[[folder:Sir Cecil Beaton]]
!!Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, Court Photographer to the Royal Family
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_6483441_3.JPG]]

->'''Played By''': Mark Tandy\\\

A renowned costume-designer and the official Court photographer to the Royal Family.

* BitchInSheepsClothing: He’s full of obsequious gush when shooting the Royal portraits, but in RealLife, after his death, his private letters revealed him to be a raging snob, with an obsessive disregard for anything he found “common”, imagined or otherwise, including (oddly) the Royal Family themselves at times.
* BornInTheWrongCentury: Margaret moans to her mother about his outmoded style, and the imagery he concocts of a busy drudge requiring Margaret’s fairytale portrait for self-bettering inspiration is something straight out of the late 19th Century, as opposed to the mid 20th.
* CampGay: Although Margaret tells Elizabeth that Tony, as a photographer, is “nothing like Cecil”, she soon corrects herself, noting that he’s a bit like Cecil as he’s “obviously queer”.
* CondescendingCompassion: His snobbish side is revealed when he explains to Margaret the importance of her portrait in boosting the morale of the lower orders, creating a hypothetical scenario of a busy housewife with so much “washing up” to do — in a tone that suggests this is a mysterious concept he may have read about somewhere — who will be inspired to treat herself to a new neckerchief.
* FairytaleMotifs: Loves to invoke these. When Sir Cecil comes to snap Princess Margaret for her birthday portrait, his subject lays on a bit of art criticism, sotto voce, carping that his only mode is the fairy tale. Which is a valid complaint, but she’s soon reminded that selling such myths is an essential part of the job.
* PurpleProse: He’s excessively flowery in tone, and whenever he turns up to shoot a royal portrait, he does so while unspooling lines from Wordsworth or Tennyson or Shakespeare to set his subjects in a properly glorious frame of mind.

* StealthInsult: Nobody despises people like Tommy does. Lascelles manages to turn ''addressing people by their actual proper title'' into an impeccably polite form of MaliciousMisnaming, such as calling the Duke of Windsor "Sir" or referring to Peter Townsend as "Group Captain" with barely-concealed contempt in his delivery.

* SecretRelationship: Peter and Maraget try to keep their romance hidden, but that only works for a limited time.

* 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 1974-1990, from Wilson to Thatcher) indicates that the Queen remains very fond of him.

* OneDegreeOfSeparation: His wife is socially connected with half of England. As such, gossip spreads quickly, such as Martin's failed attempt to replace Lascelles or the Parker's divorce.