The 4 Best TV Shows and Films About the Royal Family to Watch Ahead of ‘The Crown’ Season 5
The highly anticipated fifth season of The Crown will be released on Nov. 9. And, as the trailer shows, it’s going to dive into Princess Diana and then-Prince Charles’ separation as well as some of the most tumultuous times during the late Queen Elizabeth II‘s reign in the ’90s.
So while we’re awaiting the exact minute until we can start steaming all the drama the Netflix series is going to deliver, here are four films and TV shows you can watch right ahead of The Crown Season 5 to get your royal family fix.
‘The Royal House Of Windsor’ (2017)
The Royal House of Windsor, which was released in 2017, is a six-part docuseries that details Britain’s most famous family’s ups and downs over nearly a century.
It begins with King George V’s reign during World War I and goes through so many key events since including Edward VIII’s shocking abdication resulting in King George VI taking the throne, Queen Elizabeth II’s accession after her father’s death, and the breakdown of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage.
You can stream The Royal House of Windsor now on Netflix.
‘Royal Family’ (1969)
Back in 1969, a little fly-on-the-wall documentary about the British royal family debuted on television screens. Around 30 people in the U.K. tuned in and BBC estimates that more than 350 million around the world have watched the program. But as The Crown depicted, it may have perhaps made the royal family seem “too relatable” and was therefore banned by the queen from ever being shown again. That s until it began making the rounds on YouTube in 2021.
It’s not clear who leaked the documentary or why but if you want to see the royals sitting around just chatting or going about the day-to-day business of monarchy, you watch Royal Family here.
‘The Windsors’ (2016)
If TV shows portraying the royals are more your thing then there are plenty of those too. There are even a few that give a humorous take on the monarchy.
While the fictional stories in the comedy series The Windsors are inspired by real events, they play out like a hilarious and silly soap opera.
Seasons 1 through 3 of The Windsors are available now on Netflix.
‘A Very British Scandal’ (2021)
If you’re looking for a more serious show about the royals then A Very British Scandal just may be for you.
The historical drama was released in 2021 and focuses on Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, and her husband Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll. According to Express, their relation to the modern-day royals we all know is via Ian’s uncle John Campbell, the 9th Duke of Argyll as he was married to Princess Louise, who was one of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s nine children. Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II are distant relatives. Through its three episodes, the film dramatizes the scandalous divorce of the duke and duchess in which Margaret is accused of sleeping with more than 80 other men while they were married. And there’s a bonus for The Crown fans as it stars Clarie Foy, who played the part of Queen Elizabeth II in seasons one and two of the Netflix series.
You can stream A Very British Scandal now on Amazon Prime Video.
