How "The Crown" rekindled our love for Elizabeth II?

• A quarter of a century ago, the Queen of England passed after the death of Lady Diana for an insensitive woman.

• As Elisabeth celebrates her jubilee, she has never been more popular.

• Did the Netflix series

  The Crown

  participate in this resurgence in popularity?

Glitz, scandals, glamor and tears!

Since 2016,

has sumptuously staged on Netflix the vagaries of the life and history of the reign of Elizabeth II.

During her "annus horribilis", a quarter of a century ago, the Queen of England passed after the death of Lady Diana for an insensitive woman.

After seven decades at the head of the United Kingdom, the 96-year-old monarch, who has become the heroine of a cult series followed by 73 million households around the world, has never been so popular, with an 81% opinion. positive in the UK, according to YouGov.

And this, despite two recent crises: the interview of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the accusations of sexual assault against Prince Andrew.

As she celebrates her platinum jubilee this Thursday, Elizabeth II is the 3rd most admired woman in the world, according to YouGov.

If the favorable opinions of the British are in good shape since the launch of the royal saga, four seasons (six on the horizon), a slew of Emmys and two royal scandals later, the Netflix series has consolidated its position as a figure of bow and made her more likeable.

Here's how

reignited our love for the Queen of England.

Elizabeth II, undisputed television star

What prompted screenwriter Peter Morgan to make Her Majesty a television heroine, after penning the screenplay for Stephen Frears' 2006 film

?

The nuptials between Elisabeth II and television are not new, recalls Stéphane Bern during the conference “Royalty in series: fantasy or reality?

» that he held during the last edition of Series Mania.

"Never forget one thing, people bought television to watch the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. That was the beginning of television."

The royal expert believes that "we need to escape, to dream through emblematic figures, people of flesh and blood, who both resemble us and take us to a somewhat dreamlike elsewhere".

If The Crown is a captivating series it is because “the royal families are men and women like us, placed by history on a pedestal.

They live the same life as us, but them, in full light, with all the problems of notoriety.

»

Elisabeth II, a fantasized life in "The Crown"

Since season one,

has been blurring the lines between reality and fiction.

“Almost seventy years of reign are told in

, the most expensive series ever produced by Netflix.

Told, but also fantasized”, write Corentin Lamy, Joffrey Ricome and Pierre Trouvou, the authors of

(Grund).

The series takes liberties with timelines, embellishes incidents and imagines private conversations.

For Peter Morgan, the show's creator, the goal has always been emotional authenticity.

“The English took the series as the historical truth.

The psychology is superbly well analyzed, the characters are there.

On the other hand, the facts are false”, summarizes Stéphane Bern.

“Some have quibbled about the accuracy of the events, but the important thing is to be faithful to the spirit of the people and the institution”, explained Robert Lacey, historical consultant for The Crown, in the columns of Vogue in 2020.

Elizabeth II, the sacrificial figure of "The Crown"

The Crown

presents Elisabeth Windsor as a young wife and mother of 25, who devotes herself body and soul to the crown following the death of her father, George VI on February 6, 1952. “What pleases in the British monarchy, c is that they are sacrificial figures,” believes Stéphane Bern.

Elizabeth II sacrifices her sense of self to better serve the unity and sustainability of her kingdom.

In the series, the Queen emerges as the one who takes on the responsibilities that come with the office, even if that means making tough decisions and alienating the people who matter most to her.

“For about a generation, it was fashionable to make fun of the monarchy, but Peter showed that it should be taken seriously, underlines Robert Lacey.

The increased respect people have for them comes from a new understanding of the difficulty of this work.

»

In season 1, a "totally imaginary" scene shows the Duke of Windsor watching the coronation of Elizabeth II at his home.

“An American guest mocks, the duke lectures him.

I have never seen anything that explains what a monarchy is for as much as this speech, ”adds Stéphane Bern.

Elizabeth II, a humanized queen in "The Crown"

“Don't you think I would have preferred to grow up away from the spotlight, away from the court, out of sight?

A simpler life, a happier life as a wife, as a mother, as an ordinary English peasant,” the queen (Claire Foy) says to Edward VIII (Alex Jennings) in episode 3.

His clearly expressed pain in the series makes his sense of duty impressive.

In the following seasons, she will be shown going through political crises, natural disasters and family scandals with unparalleled consistency, without signs of fatigue.

The Crown

humanizes Queen Elizabeth by articulating the spectacle of monarchy and universal intimate matters.

"Peter's talent has been to bring people closer to the royal family on an emotional level, without diminishing what it represents," says Robert Lacey.

In season 3, Olivia Colman succeeds Claire Foy to play the British monarch, the opportunity to address the theme of aging.

The queen contemplates two stamps bearing her effigy, one representing her young, the other, older.

"Age is rarely kind to anyone," the Queen comments.

“They are holding up a mirror to us,” remarks Stéphane Bern.

Elizabeth II, a rock in "The Crown"

Through the story of the Queen of England,

tells the story of the world after the Second World War.

From Winston Churchill to Boris Johnson, Elizabeth II has known 15 prime ministers and seems insensitive to change.

"It accompanies the movements and changes in society, without preceding them", nuance Stéphane Bern.

The Crown

allows Britons to reconsider their past and how they feel about the nation.

The very existence of the queen offers the 87% of the population of her country whom she has seen born a sense of stability.

As long as she is alive, nothing really terrible can happen.

In the episode about the Aberfan mining disaster,

portrays a woman who puts duty first, determined that no one will ever know how she really feels.

"

has no impact, neither good nor bad, but the series reinforces the myth", analyzes Stéphane Bern.

A rose-tinted image that just might hold the key to a threatened crown's future.

Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II: The festivities are launched, the Queen and the Royal Family appeared on the balcony

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Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee: Kitschy memories, but an essential "social bond" for the British

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