The Crown: Royal tragedy, Thatcher’s reign and THAT wedding: Top five moments in series four

The Crown has made its long-awaited return to screens with the Royal Family facing a period of transition plagued by political division and the emerging of a modern icon.

Series four sees the Netflix show transition from the 1970s into the 1980s, with stars Olivia Colman, Tobias Menzies and Helena Bonham Carter joined by newcomers including Emma Corrin, Gillian Anderson and Angus Imrie.

So as Her Majesty battles to keep her family together during a time of great tension – and as the series is released on Sunday, 15th November – here are the top five moments to look out for. 

Charles and Diana’s fairy tale marriage

It’s the nuptials known worldwide, and saw the birth of one of the nation’s most beloved figures in Princess Diana, frozen in time by her tragic death in 1997.

Charles’ (Josh O’Connor) romance with Lady Diana Spencer (Emma Corrin) came as a surprise to some, given his previous relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles (Emerald Fennell).

By that point Charles was 30, and the Royal Family were growing more concerned whether he would marry and secure the line of succession, and it’s been claimed in an unauthorised biography that Prince Phillip pushed his son to propose or end his relationship with Diana. 

Regardless he and Diana announced their engagement in February 1981 after less than a year together. 

Charles and Diana’s wedding was an occasion that went down in British history, with millions watching the service worldwide and thousands camping on the route from Buckingham Palace to St Paul’s Cathedral, where the ceremony was due to take place.

Diana’s wedding dress itself proved to be an incredible sight as she emerged from the gold carriage in the vast white gown designed by David Emanuel, before making her way down the aisle followed by a 25 ft train.

Charles and Diana went onto travel the world to meet thousands of adoring fans, with the Princess in particular drawing attention for her work as a humanitarian, raising awareness of issues including AIDs and the devastating effects of landmines.

The couple also journeyed across Australia for a triumphant Royal Tour in 1983, and brought along their first son William, who had been born the previous year. 

However the marriage wasn’t without tension, as Camilla continued to be a recurring presence in Charles’ life even after he and Diana were married.

In the biography Diana: Her Story In Her Own Words, it’s claimed Charles wore cuff links gifted to him from Camilla as a wedding gift, during his and Diana’s 14-day honeymoon.

In 1984, the couple welcomed their second son Harry, but just two years later it’s claimed Charles rekindled his relationship with Camilla while he and Diana were still married.

Following the publication of Diana’s shocking biography – penned by journalist Andrew Morton – her marriage to Charles appeared beyond repair, and they separated in 1992.

It wasn’t a surprise to many as during a tour of South Korea the husband and wife seemed to be worlds apart, and their split proved to be a huge turning point for the Royal Family.

In 1997 Diana was tragically killed in a car accident in Paris, sparking nationwide mourning. Charles went onto marry Camilla, now the Duchess of Cornwall, in 2005.

The rise of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher proved to be one of the most divisive Prime Ministers the UK has ever known, facing backlash from Labour supporters for condemning much of the nation to poverty and hardship.

Elected in 1979, her hard right views won her a slim majority as she vowed to end industrial strife, and introduced reforms to control inflation and reduce the power of the trade unions.

However she divided the nation in 1982 by deciding to send a military task force to the Falkland Islands after they were invaded by Argentina, a move seen as controversial by some including the Royal Family. 

After several months the British forces were able to recapture Port Stanley, and the conflict earned Thatcher her infamous title The Iron Lady.

Despite being re-elected in 1983, Thatcher’s greatest test came in 1984 when miners across the nation – led by NUM leader Arthur Scargil – went on strike to desperately try and prevent pits from being permanently closed.  

Thatcher supported the closure in an attempt to try and reduce the power of the trade unions, but strikes continued for almost a year, with many mining towns facing huge poverty as workers were unable to provide for their families.

Eventually the strikes came to an end in March 1985, with all 174 working pits closed for good by 2015.

After being elected for the third time in 1987, Thatcher sparked protests in 1990 when she introduced the community charge, or poll tax, which was aimed to make local council finance fairer.

Instead it sparked nationwide protests, the worst of which were in central London, and Thatcher was forced to resign after losing the support of the Conservative Party.

It’s thought that the Queen and Thatcher had a somewhat frosty relationship during her time in office, with Elizabeth concerned how fractured the nation had become at the height of the miners strike.

Margaret Thatcher died in 2013 after suffering a stroke, and her state funeral was the first attended by The Queen since Winston Churchill in 1965. 

Death of Lord Mountbatten 

A respected war veteran, Lord Mountbatten’s death in 1979 stunned the Royal Family, as he was assassinated by a bomb that had been planted on his fishing boat by the Provisional Irish Republican Army.

He’d previously been working as the Chief of Defence staff, but had retired from the navy in 1965. 

Alongside Mountabben, his grandson Nicholas, 14, and a crew member Paul, 15, and socialite Doreen Knatchbull were killed from the attack.

The paramilitary organisation attempted to assassinate the royal a year before his murder, but missed shooting the British Royal Navy officer due to bad weather.

Shortly after the murder, The IRA issued a statement, which read: ‘The IRA claim responsibility for the execution of Lord Louis Mountbatten.

‘This operation is one of the discriminate ways we can bring to the attention of the English people the continuing occupation of our country.

‘The death of Mountbatten and the tributes paid to him will be seen in sharp contrast to the apathy of the British Government and the English people to the deaths of over three hundred British soldiers, and the deaths of Irish men, women, and children at the hands of their forces.’

In The Crown fans have seen Mountbatten’s close relationship with Prince Charles, and he offered his home as a getaway from prying eyes during the royal’s young days before settling down with Diana.

Following his tragic assassination, Mountbatten’s funeral took place in Westminster Abbey with much of the Royal Family in attendance, and he was buried at Romsey Abbey, near Broadlands. He had no sons, which meant that Mountbatten’s eldest daughter, Patricia, inherited his title. 

Princess Margaret’s health scare 

After divorcing Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1978, Princess Margaret found herself at a crossroads of sorts, as her former flame Roddy Llewellyn – who she remained close friends with – had married in 1981. 

Spending more time abroad at her holiday home in Mustique, she continued to embark on various worldwide tours on behalf of her sister The Queen, including China, Swaziland and The Phillippines.

But following the rise of Charles and Diana, Margaret gradually retreated away from public life, especially as she suffered from various health problems following years of heavy smoking.

In 1985 Margaret faced a nasty health scare when she was hospitalised to have part of her left lung removed, a fate eerily similar to her father, who died of lung cancer in 1952. 

The Buckingham Palace break-in 

Back in 1982, Michael Fagan, 32, scaled the 14ft tall barbed-wire fence of Buckingham Palace and made it into the Queen’s bedroom.

Given the vast amount of security surrounding the palace, the break-in seems unprecedented by modern standards, with Fagan recalling his experience to The Independant On Sunday in 2012.

Detailing the moment he pulled back the curtains to The Queen’s bedroom to see her staring back at him, he said: ‘I was scareder than I’d ever been in my life. Then she speaks and it’s like the finest glass you can imagine breaking: ”Wawrt are you doing here?!'” 

It was heavily reported at the time that The Queen and Fagan had a lengthy conversation while security was called to the bedroom, but Fagan claimed she ‘ran past him.’

Fagan also wandered around the Palace during his break-in, setting off the alarm twice. Police turned it off on both occasion presuming it had been set off in error.

Eventually police arrived at the Palace and Fagan was arrested, but only after being given a glass of whisky by a footman tasked with keeping an eye on him until the authorities were present.

Home Secretary Willie Whitelaw offered to resign following the break-in but The Queen refused to accept it, and Fagan was sent to Brixton Prison for three weeks on an unrelated offence.

The Crown series four will be released on Netflix on Sunday, November 15th.