The Crown - my guilty pleasure

I love watching historical dramas and I guess it ties in with my love of history in general. As a child I spent endless hours reading historical tales from around the world and imagined myself as a Spanish explorer, a famous Parisian artist in Montmartre, or an ancient tribal warrior princess leading her army of Visigoths to battle.

This interest in history stayed with me as an adult, but has morphed into an addiction to mini series of historical content - my recent favourites being British dramas like "World on Fire" set in WW2, and most recently "The Crown".

While I am Australian my father was English, so a certain penchant for the British way of life has rubbed off on me (apart from their weather!). My Dad came from working class British stock, and when he emigrated to Australia after the war his disdain for his former homeland was quite apparent. He hated the class system he had left in England, and loved Australia for being so democratic, so anti-authoritarian and most of all for being the land of mateship. Dad's favourite quote about England was "They should tow that country out to sea and pull the bloody plug out!"

This lengthy preamble is to show the reader that I really shouldn't be someone who loved watching "The Crown". I don't come from aristocracy, and there are likely some convicts in my ancestry (note to American readers - having a convict ancestor in your pedigree in Australia is actually something to be proud of, not ashamed!) The whole premise of "The Crown" revolves around one particularly inbred family who are worth squillions and don't have real day jobs. And yet, I couldn't help being drawn into their trials and tribulations, like a good episode of the Bold and the Beautiful, but with tweed coats and bad teeth.

I am such a fan of Queen Elizabeth now after watching The Crown, and learning about her sudden ascent to the throne at a young age following her father's death. Her strength and determination to serve the British people with all her being has led to an incredible reign of nearly 70 years. She was beautiful, smart and devoted to her people, who loved her in return and still do.

My dear old anti-establishment Dad even had a soft spot for Liz, as he called her. My favourite story of his was the time in England in WW2, when he was a skinny 18 year old driving lorries (trucks) in the Royal Army Service Corp, he pulled into the maintenance bay and he saw a beautiful young woman struggling to get a wheel nut off her lorry.

He didn't know who it was, but he thought he'd offer to give the young lady a hand. As moved towards her, out of the shadows appeared two burly figures in MP (Military Police) uniforms who said "Back away, sunshine - she doesn't need your help". My father was bewildered - what had he done wrong? Then the young woman turned her head to smile at him - and he was shocked to see it was the Princess Elizabeth! He knew the 19 year old had pleaded with her parents to let her enlist in the Army and she was a trained auto mechanic. He blushed and retreated to his own lorry, stunned that he had been that close to the future Queen!

Not all of the characters in "The Crown" deserve the same adulation - their names have been mentioned in tabloid magazines and papers so you know who I mean. Rich, spoiled, bored - not exactly role models to look up to. However in each generation there seem to be one member of the Windsor family who restores our faith in the monarchy, so for that reason I won't go over to the Republican side just yet (as opposed to being a monarchist).

I will continue to watch my beloved Crown, despite my misgivings about some of the Royal Family's behaviour. I've enjoyed the historical insights the series gave me, even though it was fiction there were many real historic events included in the series. It was brilliantly scripted, cast, acted and filmed so I can't wait for the next series!