Historically, when this lot brush up against divorce, you end up with either reformation or abdication.
When Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend ask for permission to get married, Elizabeth promises her support, while Tommy Lascelles and the Queen Mother advise against it. A newspaper publishes an article about the relationship and, after learning that the Royal Marriages Act of 1772 prohibits Margaret from marrying without permission until she turns 25, Elizabeth changes her mind — Margaret (who's 23) will have to wait for two years. Elizabeth and Philip take Townsend, who is set to be posted to Brussels, with them on a trip to Northern Ireland, but his sudden popularity causes Lascelles to recommend he be posted sooner than promised.
This episodes contains examples of:
- Age-Gap Romance: The 16-year age gap between Townsend and Margaret is commented on.
- Artistic Licence – Geography: When Margaret telephones Elizabeth from Salisbury in Rhodesia note , it is night-time. In England, Elizabeth answers in clear daylight. As Southern Africa operates only one hour ahead of Britain, this eventuality would be impossible.
- Artistic License – Ornithology: When Margaret and Townsend are seen riding near Windsor, there's a cutaway to a circling bird of prey. The bird is identifiable as a red kite which, although a common sight over the area today, would not have been seen anywhere in England in the 1950s.
- First-Name Basis: Upon learning that Margaret and Townsend wish to marry, Philip congratulates them; when Townsend addresses him as "sir", Philip insists that he now call him "Philip". We don't see if Elizabeth says similar, but he later addresses her as "Lilibet".
- Foreshadowing: While at his lunch club Philip learns about Nasser seizing power in Egypt. It won't be the last we'll hear of him.
- Groupie Brigade: After the story of his and Margaret's romance breaks, Townsend becomes popular overnight, with hordes of squeeing girls following his every move.
- May It Never Happen Again: The reason why the Royal Family overreacts to the impending marriage of Margeret to the divorced Townsend is because it brings up the nightmare of Edward's marriage to Wallis Simpson, even if the circumstances are different.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
- Seeing the extent of press attention towards Townsend, Lascelles recommends to the Queen that she allow him to advance Townsend's reassignment to Belgium. Doing so only brings down a storm of press indignation on the Royal Family and causes a rift between Elizabeth and her sister.
- Having the royal coronation televised has started the process of breaking down the mystique of the Royals, just like it was feared. Journalists are starting to question why the publicity should be a one-way street.
- Pulling the Thread: Just the sight of Princess Margaret removing a piece of fluff from Townsend's jacket during the coronation is enough to put a journalist on the trail of their illicit relationship.
- The Promise: Elizabeth promises Margaret that she'll support her in her desire to marry Peter Townsend. By the end of the episode, she's been reminded of the Royal Marriage Act, which (given that she as the monarch cannot approve of a princess marrying a divorcee) requires Margaret to wait until she's 25, and has agreed to send Townsend away to Brussels earlier than expected, keeping the two lovers apart — even though she'd (also) promised Margaret that she could spend a few days with Townsend after she got back from Rhodesia and before he went to Belgium.
- Reassigned to Antarctica: Well, Belgium. Townsend is appointed air attaché to the British Embassy in Brussels, which is just an excuse to send him away from Margaret. The appointment is then brought forward to get him out of the way sooner; Truth in Television; apparently, the British Ambassador to Belgium only learned that the new air attaché was arriving sooner than expected when he read about it in the papers.
- Sarcasm Mode: Tommy Lascelles, upon learning in advance about the newspaper article about Margaret and Townsend's relationship.Newspaper Proprietor: Look, I'm just trying to help you, Tommy. I suggest you see this for the kind gesture that it is.Tommy Lascelles: What? That you are about to print an article that will cause deep distress to senior, let's be quite clear, the most senior members of the Royal family?Newspaper Proprietor: That I'm warning you. That I'm giving you the heads up.Tommy Lascelles: I'm on my knees with gratitude.
- The Scapegoat: Lascelles offers to take the blame for advancing Townsend's reassignment. It makes no difference as Margaret blames her sister anyway.
- Smoky Gentlemen's Club: Philip goes to one of these in Soho, where he learns about what's been going on in Egypt recently.
- Technology Porn: The episode begins and ends with exhaustive depictions of the Buckingham Palace phone lines, with something as simple as two sisters having a chat having to go through several operators.
- Title Drop: Regarding the newspaper article that brings Margaret and Townsend's relationship into the public eye.Editor: Bloody hell.Reporter: You did say peppery.Editor: Pepper is one thing. This is gelignite.Reporter: I know.
- Your Cheating Heart: Prince Philip is shown eyeing a pretty waitress at his lunch club.
- You're Just Jealous: Played for drama when Margaret accuses her sister of breaking them up because she can't stand anyone else to have the limelight.
