The numerous members of the Royal Household featured in The Crown (2016). Beware of spoilers.
open/close all folders
The Royal Household
Private Secretaries
Tommy Lascelles
Sir Alan "Tommy" Lascelles, 16th Private Secretary to the Sovereign
Played By: Pip Torrens
"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.- Adaptation Explanation Extrication: Tommy doesn't like the Duke of Windsor, and generally frowns upon royals who don't do their duty. This may seem like mere British Stuffiness, but in real life, he'd been the Duke's Assistant Private Secretary for ten years, on and offnote , and had actually resigned because he was so disgusted with the Prince's irresponsible behaviour. This is why he's so on guard against other royals who display similar tendencies.note
- Always on Duty: Tommy spots Elizabeth arriving unexpectedly at his home while looking out the window of his study. Within seconds, he has donned a jacket and is greeting her at the door as if he had been expecting her the entire time. Even more amazing is that by this point, he's already retired.
- Badass Bookworm: The real-life Tommy Lascelles was known as a prodigious reader. In-series, when he "unexpectedly" meets Eileen Parker in the park, he’s reading a tome on the campaigns of Napoleon. He was also in the British Army for 25 years, serving in WWI with distinction (he obliquely mentions it recalling the Battle of the Somme to the Duke of Windsor), and as Private Secretary, he presents a chillingly stern attitude towards anyone who dares to challenge the monarchical status quo — including the Queen herself on occasion.
- Badass Bureaucrat: The Private Secretary does not simply dress down people, he roasts and demolishes them
, implacably and impeccably. - Bearer of Bad News: Often the bearer of harsh truths and bad news, like Adeane after him, but without Adeane's visible reluctance. It’s left to Lascelles to reveal the extent of the former Edward VIII’s involvement with the Nazis to the abdicated monarch’s niece.
- Berserk Button:
- Tommy never raises his voice, but it can get distinctly more clipped if you piss him off. A quick way to do this is to insult the memory of King George VI, as the Duke of Windsor discovers in Season 1.Tommy: Nothing weak about the late king, sir. I'm sure I speak for everyone present when I call him a hero.
- Pretty much anything involving the Duke and Duchess of Windsor puts Tommy in an especially bad mood, as he was Private Secretary to the Sovereign during Edward VIII's reign and had previous been his Assistant Private Secretary for most of the 1920s.
- Even reminders of the Duke of Windsor make his mood considerably worse. His patience with Peter Townsend, already thin, runs out completely right after Peter breaks out the phrase "the woman I love," and he audibly struggles to control his voice when the Queen herself insists on having her own way in defiance of palace protocol.
- Tommy never raises his voice, but it can get distinctly more clipped if you piss him off. A quick way to do this is to insult the memory of King George VI, as the Duke of Windsor discovers in Season 1.
- Blue Blood: His protectiveness of the Royal Family isn't purely born out of duty and love of country — it's also familial. He was the son of The Honourable Frederick Canning Lascelles and the grandson of the 4th Earl of Harewood. He was therefore a cousin of Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood, who married HRH The Princess Mary, Princess Royal — the sister of his employers, Edward VIII and George VI.
- British Stuffiness: Incarnate. He's incredibly strait-laced, and views any sort of frivolity, modernity or suggestiveness with deep suspicion, disapproval, and occasionally outright revulsion. A flashback in Season 3 reveals he doesn't bother to soften his stern tone even when speaking privately to Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, who are very young at the time, causing the latter to cry.
- Brutal Honesty: He rarely sugarcoats things, even when speaking with the monarch (although naturally he's a bit more diplomatic in his manner with her than with others).
- Canine Companion: Tommy lets his two Scottish deerhounds join him on the couch and, at one point, in Michael Adeane's office. (The two dogs, with their solemn expressions and scruffy faces, have something of an Uncatty Resemblance to Tommy.)
- Character Tics: The viewer can tell Lascelles is alive while addressing someone because he locks his hands behind his back and moves his fingers nervously.
- Cigarette of Anxiety: Pairs a cigarette with a glass of whiskey soon after George VI's death.
- Clothing Reflects Personality: Even watching television at home, he always wears a necktie (except for a few formal events that call for a bow tie).
- The Comically Serious: His stone-faced but yet contemptuous demeanour when addressing very delicate matters makes him unexpectedly hilarious.
- Commuting on a Bus: After his official retirement, he's still called to manage sensitive situations with some frequency.
- The Consigliere: Or "henchman," as Margaret puts it, to Elizabeth (and the three monarchs who preceded her).
- Consummate Professional: He doesn't tolerate the tiniest misstep and expects everyone to keep up with the royally high standards he sets and mantains for the institution, leaving no room for indulgence, levity or personalism.
- Control Freak: Obsessed with doing everything rigid, proper, and by the book. As he points out, even the tiniest crack allowed can expand and break the whole system.
- Cool Car: When Tommy runs into the Queen in the front drive of Buckingham Palace, she mistakes his Rolls-Royce for one of the Royal cars; in fact, as he tells her, the car and its driver were part of his retirement package.
- The Creon: He has served four Sovereigns. Somebody with Tommy's experience, ability and influence could easily exert an even greater power by the time the young and inexperienced Elizabeth ascends to the throne. But Tommy knows his place and in the end he just acts as guardian of the institution, without seeking an authority beyond his station, counselling without imposing, and at worst, acting on behalf of the Queen Mother.Tommy: But as always, the final say is with you, Ma'am
- Deadpan Snarker: The master of withering, po-faced castigation.
- Disapproving Look: Tommy is the god of this, and can always be counted on to make one whenever anyone besmirches the good name of the Royal Family—or, worse, when members of the Royal Family besmirch themselves.
- The Dragon: In the 50s and early 60s, the Queen Mother regularly appoints Tommy to do her bidding opposing and reversing Elizabeth's intentions or actions.
- The Dreaded: Viewed as this by anti-traditionalists such as Philip. A frightful, almost ominous, unmovable guardian of the old ways.Philip: Go and see him, in an unofficial capacity. For sherry or tea. Or human blood, whatever that monster drinks.
- Establishing Character Moment: The first time we see Tommy, he is coming to collect the King, who is in the middle of exchanging bawdy jokes with Peter Townsend. Tommy does not so much as twitch his moustache with mirth, maintaining his steely gaze and ramrod posture as he reminds the King that it is time to leave for Elizabeth's wedding.
- Everyone Has Standards: Is very against any deviations from tradition, but when the Great Smog hits and Churchill seemingly does nothing, even he implies he wouldn't mind the Queen bending the rules and getting rid of Churchill.
- Gentleman Snarker: He doesn't break out his deadpan snark often, but when he does, it's ever so gentlemanly.Tommy: Ask Martin to come and see me, would you? That is, if he and his lady wife are not too busy measuring carpets and curtains for what is still my home.
- Good is Not Nice: From a traditional monarchist perspective, at least; while he's not exactly cuddly about it, everything he does is intended to defend and preserve the institution of the monarchy.
- Hidden Depths:
- In Season 2, the Queen pays Tommy a call to ask for his advice to find him painstakingly recreating the battle of Salamanca with hand-painted, historically accurate miniature figurines on a to-scale three-dimensional map of the battleground.
- Also apparently is fond of fly fishing (he examines salmon flies through a magnifying glass in Season 1) and hunting (he tests a rifle scope in Season 2).
- Hyper-Competent Sidekick: 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 cease to point out potential mistakes, but is ultimately deferential to the Sovereign, allowing the young Elizabeth the last word.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Goes behind Elizabeth's back to browbeat her favoured secretary into refusing the position. When Elizabeth confronts him, he argues that breaking longstanding traditions can corrode the heart of the monarchy, as just Edward VIII's actions nearly toppled it. In general, while Lascelles is curt, forceful and inclined to trample on people when he deems it necessary, his every action is based on a sincere respect for the monarchy and desire to protect it.
- Karma Houdini: Downplayed. The one time he's proven to be wrong (in the case of a tone-deaf speech, after condescendingly dismissing the well-aimed concerns of Charteris) 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.
- Long-Distance Relationship: Admits his own marriage has often been one of these. This is Truth in Television as Lascelles' real-life diaries indicate that his wife and children spent most of their time at their home in the country but frequently visited him in London.
- No-Nonsense Nemesis: He is implacable with anyone who shows the slightest sign of frivolity or unbecoming conduct that could undermine the Crown.
- No Sympathy: Openly unconcerned with the divorce of the Parkers or with the emotional impact of Margaret and Peter Townsend's forced separation.Elizabeth: Sending him away will break my sister's heart.Tommy: Hearts mend.
- Not So Above It All: He expresses clear irritation at Elizabeth for moving one of the figures on his battlefield (behind her back, of course). While this enforces his Control Freak portrayal, the figures were a gift from her grandfather King George V no less, and clearly have a special place in Tommy's heart.
- Number Two: As Private Secretary to the Sovereign, Tommy was this to George VI, and should be this to Elizabeth, but he often acts on the Queen Mother's instructions instead.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: The main force behind frustrating the modernizing energies of Philip, and Margaret's affair with Peter, often on the instruction of the Queen Mother.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: 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. Years later, Philip recollects that Lascelles shared with him the keen insight that duality runs in the family, with every Windsor generation being comprised of the dangerous, dazzling individuals and of the boring but reliable type.
- Old Retainer: Private Secretary since before the war, with a career of royal service that started in the 1920s. He retires after three decades.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: His real first name was actually Alan, but in-series everyone calls him by his nickname of "Tommy."
- Perpetual Frowner: His face almost seems frozen in this constant disapproving frown. He never smiles beyond a slight tugging at the sides of his mouth, and he never laughs beyond a single quiet chuckle.
- Quintessential British Gentleman: Three-piece suit, bowler hat, umbrella, Received Pronunciation, Rolls-Royce, impeccable vocabulary, stuffy as they come, works for the bloody Queen. He is, indeed, very British.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: Tends to come up whenever he crosses swords with the Duke of Windsor; whether or not Windsor might have a valid point, Tommy can always be counted on to shut him down regardless:Duke of Windsor: You know, Tommy, you are an embarrassment to the institution you serve, and to the country that institution serves in turn.
Tommy: And I will take a lecture on national embarrassment from many people, sir. But not from you. - Silent Snarker: Without saying a word, he comments whole scenes with his unamused face alone or by taking a deep breath. 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.
- Sliding Down The Slippery Slope: Believes that this is how Edward VIII's abdication crisis came about: he started with small acts of selfishness that snowballed into bigger ones. That's why Tommy is so uptight whenever Elizabeth wants to break protocol.
- Smug Snake: Downplayed, he's so competently dominant that the disdainful way he treats 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 an old-fashioned, paternalistic upcoming speech of the Queen. Martin is proven right and fallout ensues.Tommy: If I had a shilling for every time someone of a progressive or liberal disposition had warned needlessly of a popular attack against the Crown, I would be a rich man. [...]
(launches into a long, coercive diatribe on why the Queen is safe from media attacks)
Martin: So I'm worrying unnecessarily?
Tommy: Martin, I shall leave the drawing of that inescapable conclusion to you. - Stealth Insult: Nobody despises people like Tommy does. Lascelles manages to turn addressing people by their actual proper title into an impeccably polite form of Malicious Misnaming, such as calling the Duke of Windsor "Sir" or referring to Peter Townsend as "Group Captain" and "husband and father" with barely-concealed contempt in his delivery.
- Stepford Smiler: Begins a few conversations with Elizabeth with an exchange of pleasantries and a polite semi-smile, mostly to convince her that all is well. Once she turns her head, he's right back to his usual frown of seriousness.
- Stiff Upper Lip: For a very brief moment soon after George VI's death, he appears to be blinking away tears when speaking fondly of the King.Tommy: A kind and generous offer, as befits the widow of a kind... (pause) and generous man.
- The Stoic: He's rather serene, firm and monotone in his deportment. Even when he talks, he barely moves a muscle and his frown delivers a great deal of his authoritative message instead. It's almost sinister.
- Taking the Heat: Desperate to get Peter Townsend out of the way to preserve the Royal Family's reputation, he offers to let Elizabeth blame him for sending Townsend to Brussels earlier than expected. It could be argued that his entire job is to basically take the heat for the Royal Family by acting as the stone-faced, unflinching fixer for their every need, whether they realise (or appreciate) it or not.
- Undying Loyalty: To the Royal Family — to the levels of a guardian deity.
- Who You Gonna Call?: The Freelanced Professional variety, whenever the Royal household needs help managing a particularly sensitive crisis.
- With Due Respect: He is almost always blunt and forthright in offering his opinions to his masters when necessary, but always manages to sound effortlessly deferential and respectful while doing so. This trait is particularly pronounced whenever he's dealing directly with the Duke of Windsor, in front of whom he never lets the deferential formalities drop but somehow manages to make them sound like vicious insults nevertheless.
Michael Adeane
Lieutenant Colonel Michael Adeane, 17th Private Secretary to the Sovereign
Click here to see him in Season 3
Played By: Will Keen (seasons 1-2), David Rintoul (Season 3)
"You did well to bring this to me, Michael."
Elizabeth's second Private Secretary, upon the retirement of Tommy Lascelles. A competent but generally unimaginative man, he tends to defer to Lascelles.— Tommy Lascelles
- Beard of Evil: 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. By the Season 3 premiere in 1964, he has gained self-assurance and regained his moustache back.
- Bearer of Bad News: Often, nervously, and uncomfortably.
- Condescending Compassion: The speech he writes for the Queen at the Jaguar car factory is rife with this trope. It praises the work of the employees while also devaluing them and their contributions.
- Forgettable Character: At least to Phillip. When Phillip asks why Martin Charteris is now acting as Elizabeth's private secretary instead of Adeane, Elizabeth replies that Adeane retired a full three months ago and Phillip had even given him a retirement present!
- The Generic Guy: In Seasons 1 and 2 he's a rather bland and unremarkable lackey, prone to fall back to Lascelles and let him manage tough issues. He's so unremarkable that it takes Philip months to realize he's retired despite having been at his retirement party and given him a gift.
- Happily Married: He and his wife don't like being away from each other for too long.
- Number Two: Somewhat averted, as despite being Private Secretary to the Sovereign, his first action in most crises is to call the now-retired Tommy. Averted in Season 3, in which he has basically become Tommy.
- Rank Up: Replaces Lascelles upon his retirement in the mid-50s.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Elizabeth gives Adeane what might be called an "almighty bollocking" over the poorly received speech he wrote for her.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: In Season 3 he becomes this to Tommy Lascelles, losing his Season 2 diffidence and adopting a similar sternly demeanour and general Stiff Upper Lip. Apparently that's what the job does to you.
- Took a Level in Badass: Slightly. By Season 3, he's overall more confident and bossy, having grown more assertive and less spineless.
- Yes-Man: He's completely deferential and submissive to Lascelles, even when Tommy is already retired. Adene is shown chuckling during several smirk-inducing verbal smackdowns of his boss.
Martin Charteris
Lieutenant Colonel Martin Charteris, 18th Private Secretary to the Sovereign
Click here to see him in Seasons 3-4
Played By: Harry Haddon-Paton (Seasons 1-2), Charles Edwards (Season 3-4)
Martin: "Sir, forgive me if I'm interfering beyond my station... Tommy..."
Tommy: "Martin... You were about to interfere beyond your station."
Elizabeth's Private Secretary when she was merely Princess Elizabeth, upon her elevation to the throne Charteris was demoted to Assistant Private Secretary. Nonetheless, Elizabeth likes him and continues to consider him a valued advisor.Tommy: "Martin... You were about to interfere beyond your station."
- Ambition Is Evil: Not evil per se, but certainly improper. Lascelles has to dress him down considerably and remind him how the things are done to make him refuse Elizabeth's offer and dispel the notion that Charteris is becoming Private Secretary ahead of time before Adeane.
- As You Know: When Martin reminds Elizabeth about how regnal names work, to the point of reminding her what her father and uncle's names were.
- Cassandra Truth:
- He tries to warn about how tone-deaf the Queen's speech is to Lascelles and Adeane but was brushed off as a whining, pessimistic "progressive or liberal." He turned out right when the backlash came at her.
- In Season 3, he's the first to suggest that the Queen should visit Aberfan to express her sympathy to the family of the victims. He's quickly shut down, almost obliviously, by the Queen and Adeane, alongside Wilson.
- Composite Character: Of Phillip Moore and William Heseltine, the subsequent Private Secretaries following Real Life Charteris' retirement in 1977.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: With bad press mounting over the Queen's criticism of Margaret Thatcher "leaking" to the press; Martin is the one to propose scapegoating the story and coldly has Michael Shea take the blame. While Shea's role in the leak is a topic of debate in real life, Martin Charteris had retired from his position as Private Secretary years before the incident occurred and had no role in the event.
- Long Runner: 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 Secretary for another two decades, deep into The '80s. In Real Life Charteris was Private Secretary for just 5 years and left the Queen's service in 1977.
- Number Two: As Elizabeth's Private Secretary before her accession, he later becomes the Junior Deputy Secretary to the Sovereign under Tommy Lascelles. No longer the case when he becomes Elizabeth's private secretary following Michael Adeane's retirement.
- Oh, Crap!: Has this reaction when a Reuters reporter turns on the radio in the hotel lounge at Nairobi and hears of George VI's death, he immediately rushes to Sagana before Elizabeth can hear the news from any other source.
- One Degree of Separation: His wife Mary 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.Adene: Says Margaret Colville, Jock Colville's wife, who plays bridge with Alice Jameson, lady-in-waiting, who as you may know, plays tennis with Mary Charteris.
Lascelles: Why on Earth would I know that? - Rank Up: Finally replaces Adeane in the 70s.
- Royal Favorite: 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' following very long tenure as Private Secretary (roughly 1974-1990, from Wilson to Thatcher) indicates that the Queen remains very fond of him.
- Spare to the Throne: Played with; Elizabeth jokes that Adeane and Charteris are, respectively, "the heir and the spare" to Lascelles.
Mike Parker
Lieutenant Commander Michael Parker, Private Secretary to the Duke of Edinburgh
Played by: Daniel Ings
An Australian Royal Navy officer who serves as the Private Secretary to Prince Philip. He's very good war buddies with the prince and very much enjoys his work — and the opportunities for pleasure that come with it...- Awful Wedded Life: Entirely his fault; he forgets his wife's anniversary on the regular and is cold and distant towards her behind a cheery exterior.
- Insistent Terminology: After Prince Philip harshly but necessarily sacks him for inadvertently leaking inflammatory, private information in his blabbering letters to their lunch club, the two men meet at Mike’s house to say their goodbyes. Philip thanks Mike for the good times, with Mike responding “Thank you. Sir ”, using unexpectedly formal tones. “Philip”, corrects Philip. “Sir ” recorrects Mike, still clearly very hurt by Philip’s actions.
- It's All About Me: Does whatever (and whoever) he pleases — wife and children be dammed — as long as he’s enjoying himself. Between being a negligent father, his daughter's disappointment after he ignores her and doesn't call on her birthday after promising he would, a cold and distant husband, having had multiple affairs, and something of a corrupting influence on Phillip, he's not portrayed in the best light.
- Married to the Job: His and his ex-wife Eileen's story shows how working for the Royal Family could break a toll on your personal and familial life; when he wasn't cheating on Eileen, he was often too busy working for Philip or hanging out with him and the Navy to even call his daughter on her birthday.
- The Prankster: Philip asks him to help Charles kick a soccer ball properly. Mike does so, telling Charles to aim directly for Philip's groin.Mike: Not bloody bad, Charles!
- Toxic Friend Influence: He doesn't seem to be the best of influences on Philip, encouraging his habit of drinking and partying (and possible but unspecified adultery).
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: He sends letters bragging about his sexual conquests to the Thursday Club against protocol, until his wife finally has enough and gets her hands on one, making it public knowledge and calling Philip's fidelity into question given their close friendship. Philip is compelled to sack him for such indiscretion.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: One reason why Eileen decided to divorce him. He was always away a lot and he didn't bother to acknowledge their daughter's birthday.
Edward Adeane
Mr Edward Adeane, Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales
Played By: Richard Goulding
Prince Charles' Private Secretary and the son of Michael Adeane, above. An unsmiling, no-nonsense man.- The Confidant: He enables Charles' relationship with Camilla via the careful management of his diary.
- Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Sports the large-lensed glasses of the era, and comes across as pompous and unfeeling, especially towards Diana.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: His portrayal, if reports are to be believed, is one that the Royal Family and Household took particular exception to, feeling it to be an "inaccurate and unkind" portrayal.
- In the Blood: His father Michael was Queen Elizabeth's Private Secretary, who was in turn grandson of Lord Stamfordham, Private Secretary to Queen Victoria and George V.
- Jerkass: Not a particularly nice guy at all, he clashes with Diana on multiple occasions and is stiff and inflexible in character.
Robert Fellowes
Mr Robert Fellowes, 21st Private Secretary to the Sovereign
Played By: Andrew Havill
Elizabeth's 21st Private Secretary and the brother-in-law of the Princess of Wales via his marriage to her sister, Lady Jane Spencer.- Bearer of Bad News: 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.
- Beleaguered Assistant: 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 and Charles taking over.
- A Day in the Limelight: His weight and importance as the main royal counselor is finally given some focus in the Season 6 episode "Ruritania", in which he resigns.
- Everyone Is Related: Brother-in-law of Diana, Princess of Wales and maternal first cousin of Ronald Ferguson, the father of Sarah, Duchess of York.
- The Generic Guy: Mohamed Al-Fayed is visibly disappointed when, after all the efforts he put into returning the belongings of the Duke of Windsor to the Crown, no royal shows up to collect the stuff and Fellowes is instead the one who arrives.
- Heroic Sacrifice: He presents his resignation because he is not attuned to reform and as such, no longer fit to advise the Queen. He describes it as offering a scalp to the people.
- Minor Major Character: As the Queen ages, the narrative importance of the Private Secretaries diminishes considerably, with Fellowes being reduced to a Satellite Character who is conspicuously absent during the whole aftermath of Diana's death.
- Satellite Character: By definion of the office, all the Private Secretaries gravitate around 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.
Robin Janvrin
The Right Honourable Sir Robin Janvrin, 22nd Private Secretary to the Sovereign
Played By: Jamie Parker
- Bearer of Bad News: He's the one who delivers the news about Diana's fatal accident to the Queen while at Balmoral. note
- Rank Up: Replaces Private Secretary Fellowes upon his resignation at the turn of the millennium.
Equerries
Peter Townsend
Group Captain Peter Townsend
Click here to see him in Season 5
A former RAF fighter pilot 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.
- Ace Pilot: He was a Hurricane pilot during the Battle of Britain and logged several confirmed kills, although he is hesitant to speak about his wartime experiences.
- Age-Gap Romance: There was a 16 year age gap between him and Margaret –– although innocently enough, in Season 6 they are dancing together for a very long time on a very heady night when Margaret was just 14. And a more extreme example of this trope would be his marriage to a 19-year-old — when he was 45.
- Amicable Exes: He and Margaret are very happy to be reunited, although they remain Star-Crossed Lovers. Also reportedly, with his ex-wife.
- Back for the Dead: In the 90s he comes back into Margaret's life after a decades-long separation to see her again and return her letters, as 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.
- The Bus Came Back: 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.
- Groupie Brigade: After the story of his and Margaret's romance first breaks, he becomes popular overnight, with hordes of squeeing girls following his every move.
- Humble Hero: 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.
- Informed Ability: 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.
- Long-Distance Relationship: He is sent to Brussels away from Margaret with the secret hope that time and distance will break the relationship. They don't.
- Malicious Misnaming: Almost always referred to as "Group Captain" and/or "husband and father" with scorn by Tommy Lascelles, who uses the rank and kinship to put Townsend in what he considers Peter's proper place while despising the closeness to Margaret.
- Manly Tears: As he prepares to depart England after breaking off his engagement to Princess Margaret, he breaks down sobbing.
- Meaningful Look: Exchanges one of these with Margaret at breakfast. Elizabeth picks up on this.
- More than Just a Teacher: Philip handpicks Peter to be his flight instructor. Townsend was also the instructor of future George VI in 1935.
- Moving the Goalposts: 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.
- Old Retainer: 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.
- The One That Got Away: Margaret views him like this for decades.
- Reassigned to Antarctica: Appointed air attaché at the Brussels British Embassy, which is just an honourable manner to exile him away from Margaret.
- Secret Relationship: 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.
- Silver Fox: 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.
- Star Crossed Lover: 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.
- The Stoic: To the extent that Philip considers him far too dull to marry Margaret.Philip: I’m convinced I’ve met more interesting plants.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Well, he is played by Ben Miles, and — later in life — by James Bond himself, Timothy Dalton.
- Your Days Are Numbered: He's dying by the time he reconnects with Margaret in 1992. The ending of "Annus Horribilis" shows that he died in 1995.
Tim Laurence
See The Crown (2016): The British Royal Family for detail.
Other Members of the Royal Household
The Duke of Norfolk
The Most Noble Bernard Marmaduke Fitzalan-Howard, 16th Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal
Played By: Patrick Ryecart
The highest ranking non-royal duke, he orchestrates Elizabeth's Coronation in 1953.- Blue Blood: 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.
- The Good Chancellor: 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.
- Good Old Ways: 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.
Bobo MacDonald
Miss Margaret "Bobo" MacDonald, the Queen's Dresser
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.- Affectionate Nickname: 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.
- The Confidant: 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.
- Friendly Address Privileges: She was said to have been the only person outside the Royal Family allowed to call the Queen by her nickname, “Lilibet.”
- Old Retainer: Her service is likely the longest of any royal staff member at a whopping 67 years, serving Elizabeth from cradle to late middle-age.
- Princess for a Day: On Bobo's birthday each year, the Queen is believed to have returned the favour and took her dresser a cup of tea.
- Rank Up: From humble under-nurse, to nursemaid, nanny, dresser, and finally the highest honour of all, personal friend of the Queen.
- Undying Loyalty: Goes without saying after a tenure as long as hers.
Donald Green
Detective Donald Green
Played by: Martin Marquez
The Royal Detective who accompanies Prince Charles to school and is his only source of comfort whilst there.- Fair Cop: Green stood six feet five, dressed well, drove a Land Rover, and seemed “slightly James Bond-ish” to the other boys at Gordonstoun.
- Intergenerational Friendship: 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.
- Papa Wolf: Wraps a vast paw around Charles after his disastrous performance in the Gordonstoun Challengenote , shielding him from Prince Philip's witheringly disappointed stare.
- Parental Substitute: 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.
- The Scapegoat: In Real Life, 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.
Anthony Blunt
Sir Anthony Blunt, Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures
- The Bad Guy Wins: 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. It is not mentioned that he would later be exposed and stripped of his knighthood.
- 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 Profumo affair, causing the Prince to immediately back off.
- Dirty Communists: Blunt was recruited by Soviet intelligence while at Cambridge in the 1930s, and passed information to Moscow during his time at MI5 during World War II. After 1945, his espionage activities diminished. Although he came under suspicion of being a Russian mole following the defection of Burgess and Maclean in 1951 (he helped them to escape from Britain), his treachery did not come to the attention of British intelligence until 1963.
- The Mole: Formerly. While Blunt was indeed one of the 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.
- Treacherous Advisor: 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.
- Treachery Is a Special Kind of Evil: 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.
Dean Robin Woods
The Very Reverend Robin Woods, Dean of Windsor
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.- The Confidant: 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.
- Good Shepherd: 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.
- Odd Friendship: 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.
- Saintly Church: His church is very much of the "rich tea and sympathy" variety, and quite progressive for the time period.
Michael Shea
Mr Michael Shea, Press Secretary to the Sovereign
Played By: Nicholas Farrell
Senior press secretary for Buckingham Palace and an aspiring literary novelist.- The Cassandra: 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.
- Chekhov's Skill: His writing abilities come in very handy to get the truculent Thatcher to agree to using economic "signals" with regards to South Africa, although she agreed due to using it for her own contrary purposes.
- Purple Prose: 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 Chekhov's Skill.) For whatever reason, possibly his connections, his editor does praise him and say that he really knows how to tell a story — and has he ever considered writing something else?
- The Scapegoat: Because he's The Cassandra, he then ends up having to fall on his sword and resign over the crisis that ensues without so much as an apology.
- Shoot the Messenger: 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 Undying Loyalty earlier in the episode.
- Undying Loyalty: 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. The show then implies he started writing political thrillers and became successful as a result of his ungrateful treatment by the Palace*.
Sarah Lindsay
Mrs Sarah Lindsay (née Brennan)
Played By: Alana Ramsey
An employee in the Palace press office, who works together with Michael Shea.- Chekhov's Gunman: "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.
- Someone to Remember Him By: 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
Sir Norman Hartnell
Sir Norman Bishop Hartnell, Dressmaker to the Queen
Played By: Richard Clifford
A leading British fashion designer, Hartnell gained a Royal Warrant for his work for the ladies of the Royal Family.- Camp Gay: He's depicted as flamboyant and theatrical, and in Real Life Hartnell did have relationships with men, but utterly discreetly, as homosexuality was still illegal in the United Kingdom until 1967.
- Eccentric Fashion Designer: He's unabashedly camp for the period, and 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 Elizabeth Taylor, Vivien Leigh and Marlene Dietrich.
- Royal Decree: In 1935 his fortunes skyrocketed 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.
- Self-Made Man: 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.
- True Craftsman: 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.
Sir Cecil Beaton
Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, Court Photographer to the Royal Family
Played By: Mark Tandy
A renowned costume-designer and the official Court photographer to the Royal Family.- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He’s full of obsequious gush when shooting the Royal portraits, but in Real Life, 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.
- Born in the Wrong Century: 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.
- Camp Gay: 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”.
- Condescending Compassion: 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.
- Fairytale Motifs: 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.
- Purple Prose: 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.
