Just how close was Philip with Stephen Ward? He is shown to meet him in a purely professional capacity (he having a problem with his neck, and Ward being an osteopath) but he does seem keen when Ward mentions about the parties with young ladies. Later, though, he tells Elizabeth that he didn't much care for Ward's holistic approach and went to see a Navy doctor to get his neck sorted out instead.
Elizabeth confronts her husband with the photograph of Galina Ulanova, but he refuses to explain one way or the other.
Artistic License – History: Harold Macmillan really did go to see Beyond the Fringe, and Peter Cook really did spot him in the audience and ad-lib his impersonation of Macmillan in order to humiliate the man. However, according to Jonathan Miller (one of Cook's fellow-performers), the response in the theatre was one of embarrassment because Cook had clearly gone too far, not the hysterical laughter depicted in the show.
Awful Wedded Life: Macmillan's wife gloats to his face about a humiliating satire of him, and even recommends that he see it himself. Which he does.
Big "SHUT UP!": Prince Philip gets annoyed with the Royal Family yacking during their portrait shot and shouts at everyone to shut up, they tells Cecil Beaton to "Take the bloody photo!"
Destroy the Evidence: After sketches of Prince Philip are found in Ward's apartment after his death, the Palace has to spend a lot of money tracking all of them down and buying them back to make sure they don't end up in the newspapers.
Double-Meaning Title: "Mystery Man" is the name given to an unknown person photographed from the back at one of Stephen Ward's parties. During her argument with her husband, Elizabeth says he's a mystery man to her because she never knows what he's up to behind her back.
Empathic Environment: After her private secretary informs her that Philip may be involved in the Profumo scandal, Elizabeth is shown with a Thousand-Yard Stare with snow falling on her as she looks over her stormy Scotland estate.
Eye Contact as Proof: Macmillian has a private conversation with Profumo who assures him that there's nothing to the allegation that he was involved with Christine Keeler. Macmillian accepts his word, saying he's learnt to spot a liar over the years. His wife derides him as a trusting fool and unfortunately she turns out to be right.
Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Elizabeth doesn't want to hear talk of the PM resigning when she has to leave for Scotland to rest for her pregnancy. Unfortunately, things go From Bad to Worse and Macmillan resigns after all.
Gilligan Cut: Philip says he doesn't need to see a specialist for the crick in his neck and tries to fix the problem himself. Cut to the Prince in a neck brace being driven to Stephen Ward's office.
Humiliation Conga: Harold Macmillan. He's blamed for the Profumo scandal which he had nothing to do with (other than appointing Profumo to a ministerial position after the guy told him to his face that there were no skeletons in his closet). He has no support from his wife, who cheats on him and treats him with contempt. Members of his own government are conspiring to get rid of him, and he's a figure of ridicule from newspapers and satirists. When he goes to see a play satirising his government, he's pointed out for public humiliation by the actors and has an Imagine Spot of being up on the stage without pants being mocked by the audience. When he has to have an operation to have a cancer removed, the Queen treats it as a minor inconvenience because it turns out to be benign, never mind that he still needs time to recover from the operation. It's no surprise that he runs out of the will to go on.
Hypocrite: Margaret is rebuilding her house to make it more 'egalitarian'. Elizabeth calls her on this when she then goes on a snobbish rant about her neighbours who are complaining about the noise.
The PM takes Profumo at his word and speaks out in his support. When Profumo admits he lied, this means the government is tarred with the brush of the scandal.
Queen Elizabeth choses a successor recommended by Macmillian after he's handed in his resignation and therefore no longer has the authority to make such a recommendation.
No More Lies: Invoked by Elizabeth, who's willing to accept the occasional infidelity from Philip if he just comes clean about them. Philip rejects the offer, claiming to be Devoted to You.
Not What It Looks Like: Lampshaded when Elizabeth brings up Philip going to Switzerland due to something to do with dolphins when it's a landlocked country. Philip points out that the headquarters of the World Wildlife Fund is there.
Philip: There are two types of people in life. Those whom one imagines to be trustworthy and reliable, who turn out to be treacherous and weak, like Mr. Macmillan. And those who appear to be complex and difficult, who turn out to be more dependable than anyone thought. Like me. I know exactly what my job is. Your father made it perfectly clear. You are my job. You are the essence of my duty. So here I am. Liegeman of life and limb. In, not out.
The prosecutor rips into Stephen Ward during the summation for the jury, presenting him as the orchestrator of the entire scandal and a symbol of Britain's moral decline. Ward is Driven to Suicide rather than face the jury's verdict.
When Macmillan resigns as Prime Minister, Queen Elizabeth goes on a tirade about the old, weak and sickly men she's had to put up with as Prime Ministers during her reign.
Hunting is once again used to symbolise an impending threat when a shooting party at Macmillan's country estate is intercut with the police interrogating Christine Keeler.
In-Universe with the Profumo scandal regarded as a symbol of the decline in the morals of Britain's ruling class.
Sleeping Single: Harold Macmillan and his wife sleep in separate beds, while Elizabeth and Margaret find their husbands keep shooting off to other countries.
Tempting Fate: When Prime Minister Macmillan informs her that he is resigning the Queen goes on a rant about how her prime ministers are men who never seem to last. She'll end up butting heads with Margaret Thatcher, the longest serving Prime Minister of the twentieth century.
Training Montage: The episode opens with Philip doing exercises to the tune of "Man of Mystery" by the Shadows. The music stops when he gets a crick in his neck.
