The moment Queen Elizabeth (played by Claire Foy) was seen dancing with Ghanian president Kwame Nkrumah in 1961 was recreated on The Crown.
The photo of Elizabeth dancing with Nkrumah (above in 1961) reportedly outraged many South African whites at the time, according to The New York Times. But the Queen’s move was a message to Commonwealth citizens that she supported them, regardless of race, ethnicity or nationality.
Following her broken engagement to Captain Peter Townsend, Margaret found love with Armstrong-Jones, the dapper photographer who became the Earl of Snowdon after they wed in 1960. The pair (above in 1960) divorced 18 years later.
Billy Jenkins, 10, joins the cast as the young heir, Prince Charles (centre). His father, Prince Philip, sent him to private school “with the best of motives,” says Lacey.
Though Charles (with Queen Elizabeth at Princess Margaret’s wedding in 1960) is first-in-line for the throne, he hasn’t always had the best relationship with his mother.
“It’s no secret that [Elizabeth] and Charles have had a prickly relationship at times,” says Lacey.
“Philip is a proud man, and that’s got him into trouble at times,” says Matt Smith, who portrays Philip on the show. “There’s a great deal more tragedy in his life than we have given him credit for.”
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Queen Elizabeth fell head-over-heels for Prince Philip when she was just a teen, and they just celebrated 70 years together.
The couple (above in 1972), who wed in Westminster Abbey in 1947 “are both resilient characters,” says Lacey. “Their life together has always been built on regular separations. They are not a soppy couple.”
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