The Crown (2016–…): Season 4, Episode 9 - Episode #4.9 - full transcript

- [woman 1] Are we late?
- [woman 2] Sorry.

[man 1] Go, go, go!

[man 2] …said to the bishop,
if you catch my drift!

[woman 2] Oh, you are naughty!

- [laughter]
- [man doing vocal warm-ups] Brrr…

Here you are.

- [man 3] Dress ready, darling?
- Yes, here we are.

- Shoes?
- Here we go.

Good.

[sighs]

How many people in the world
actually know about this?



Four.

[chuckles]

[cheers and applause]

[reporter] The crowds out in force tonight
outside the Royal Opera House

to welcome Their Royal Highnesses
the Prince and Princess of Wales.

The Prince, of course, is the president
of the Friends of Covent Garden

who are hosting tonight's event.

Princess Diana,
in a strapless lilac chiffon gown

printed with gold pattern,
receiving the attention.

But it's the prince's night.

His Royal Highness
celebrating his 37th birthday

at this special gala event.

[orchestra playing Verdi's
"Otello, Act I: Una vela!"]

[cast singing in Italian]



[playing Tchaikovsky's
"Swan Lake, Pas De Deux (1), Act III"]

[playing Beethoven's
"Fidelio, Op. 72, Act II: Intro and Aria"]

[singing in German] ♪ In des Lebens ♪

♪ Frühlingstagen ♪

♪ Ist das Glück ♪

♪ Von mir geflohn… ♪

Back in a tick.
I'm going to powder my nose.

[man continues singing] ♪ Wahrheit wagt ♪

♪ Ich kühn zu sagen ♪

♪ Und die Ketten sind mein Lohn ♪

["Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel playing]

[audience exclaiming]

♪ Uptown girl ♪

♪ She's been living in her uptown world ♪

♪ I bet she's never had a backstreet guy ♪

♪ I bet her mama never told her why ♪

♪ I'm gonna try for an uptown girl ♪

- [audience exclaiming]
- ♪ …been living in her white bread world ♪

♪ As long as anyone with hot blood can ♪

♪ And now she's looking
For a downtown man ♪

♪ That's what I am ♪

♪ And when she knows what she wants ♪

♪ From her time ♪

- ♪ And when she wakes up ♪
- [Diana giggles]

♪ And makes up her mind ♪

- ♪ She'll see I'm not so tough ♪
- [audience gasps approvingly]

♪ Just because ♪

♪ I'm in love with an uptown girl ♪

♪ You know I've seen her
In her uptown world ♪

♪ She's getting tired
Of her high-class toys ♪

♪ And all the presents
From her uptown boys ♪

♪ She's got a choice… ♪

[atmospheric score replaces song]

[audience cheers and applauds]

[whistling]

Happy birthday!

- [cheers and applause continue]
- [laughs]

[whistles]

[chuckles]

What were you thinking?

I was trying to make you happy.

That grotesque, mortifying display
had nothing to do with me or my happiness.

Eight minutes they were on their feet,

cheering you.

Tomorrow the newspapers
will be about nothing other than you.

People will see
it was about my feelings for you.

If you had any feelings for me,
if you had… any understanding of me…

if you had anything between your ears
other than self-obsession,

you would know
public displays like that horrify me.

- Everything I do seems to horrify you.
- Increasingly, yes!

I never thought you'd manage this,
but you're really succeeding now.

- And what's that?
- I'm starting to properly loathe you!

What's taken you so long?

The rest of us have been there
for some time!

- What are you doing?
- I'm going back to Gloucestershire.

[Diana] Of course.

It's where she'll be waiting for you.

I'm sure she'll know
exactly how to make you happy.

[Elizabeth] Charles and Diana
seem to be getting on again.

Hallelujah.

Apparently, she surprised him with a dance
last night at the opera house.

- Really?
- Full of high kicks and spins.

Why did you never do that for me?

- Dance on your birthday?
- Yes.

Like Salome.

Because, if memory serves,
you had your own ballerinas for that.

[clears throat] Honestly.

The rubbish you talk sometimes.

It says here they're off to Switzerland,
skiing with friends.

Perhaps their marriage
has turned a corner.

Now, much more importantly,
who is Billy "Jo-el"?

Billy Joel.

- Oh, Joel.
- Yes.

"Uptown Girl."

What are you talking about?

[theme music plays]

[snowslide rumbling]

[telephone ringing]

- [telephones ringing]
- [overlapping chatter]

Right.

Right. Obviously,
the minute you can confirm anything.

Anything at all.

I need to see the Queen
and the Duke of Edinburgh immediately.

[anchor 1] Prince Charles has been
caught in an avalanche

at the Swiss resort of Klosters.

The Prince of Wales was skiing
with a group of friends

when the avalanche struck
at a quarter to three…

[anchor 2] …had been the warning
of possible avalanches in the region

after heavy snowfall…

[anchor 3] Rescue helicopters
are attending the scene,

but it is not known
whether the prince has survived.

[anchor 1] A desperate rescue operation
is now underway.

Efforts to locate the prince continue…

They were on the Haglamadd,

a notoriously challenging off-piste slope…

um…

when the avalanche struck.

It seems that two of the party
were hit and swept away.

What... [Philip sighs]

Why were they even skiing
if the conditions were dangerous?

Conditions this morning
were apparently ideal.

And a male body has been found?

Those are the first
unconfirmed reports, yes.

Obviously, every effort possible
is being made to identify the body,

but should the unthinkable
turn out to be true

and the Prince of Wales is in fact, um…

Um…

We have contingency plans in place
for all members of the royal family.

"Menai Bridge" is no exception.

It's the code name
for the death of the Prince of Wales.

Yes, thank you, Martin.

[dog whines softly]

[door opens]

[door shuts]

Why bridges?

We're all bridges.

I'm London Bridge. Mummy's Tay Bridge.
You're Forth Bridge.

The choice of name…

was to suggest a link
between this life and…

and the next.

[door shuts]

[clock ticking]

[clock ticking]

We've had it confirmed.

The Prince of Wales is safe, ma'am.

Although one of the guests,
Mrs. Palmer-Tomkinson,

is still in intensive care,

and the one fatality… was Hugh Lindsay.

- Oh no.
- [Charteris] His wife…

uh, widow…

works in the press office.

- Sarah.
- [Charteris] Mmm.

- If you wanted to send a letter…
- Of course.

Martin?

Yes, ma'am, just to say…

along with the coverage
of His Royal Highness's near escape,

we should also brace ourselves
for more speculation…

about the Waleses' marriage.

It seems the prince and princess
had not been on the best of terms

prior to the accident,
and we'd received reports of…

arguments and raised voices.

Certain newspapers
were about to run stories,

and although we might expect a reprieve
of a few days, given the circumstances,

we can't expect it to last for long.

Ma'am.

[anchor] The Prince and Princess of Wales
are traveling back to Britain

this afternoon,
following a devastating accident

that has cut short
their skiing holiday in Switzerland.

On board their flight
will be the body of Major Hugh Lindsay,

a close friend of the couple,
who died in the avalanche yesterday.

The Prince of Wales was himself
only inches away from death…

[somber music plays]

[birds squawking in distance]

- They said you were on your way.
- [Elizabeth] Hello, darling.

Oh, thank you.

What have I done now?

You? Nothing.

But as his sister and confidante,

I thought you might throw some light
on a subject

about which I've been ostriching, rather.

The true state of Charles's marriage.

You don't want to know.

Actually, I do.

[dog panting]

- [Anne] Tea?
- Yes, please.

Thank you.

The truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth?

Please.

All right.

Once upon a time,
there was a beautiful young girl

who fell madly in love
with a handsome prince.

Unfortunately, the prince
was already in love with someone else,

who was herself in love with someone else,
and they all lived unhappily ever after.

That's it, in a nutshell.
Do you need more?

A little.

There's already a big age difference,

but Charles is older than his years,
and Diana is younger than hers,

which makes it not an age gap
but an age chasm.

On the face of it, they come from
similar aristocratic backgrounds,

but their personalities
come from different planets.

They have different interests,
different friends.

He doesn't understand her.
She doesn't understand him.

And considering all that,
they've done remarkably well.

But…

there comes a point
in any failing marriage,

and here I speak with some experience,

when you realize
there's no point in trying anymore,

and it's easier
to just let the current take you away.

And the minute Harry was born
and duty was done,

the marriage was effectively over,

and they started to find comfort
in the arms of others.

How many others?

Diana's been with her bodyguard,

her riding instructor…

- And Charles?
- He's just been with one.

He's also been a bit more discreet.

The only people who know about Camilla…

Pretty much the whole of Gloucestershire,
who all seem involved in facilitating it.

You can't conduct an extramarital affair
without somewhere to meet or sleep or...

Yes, thank you.

But Diana…

Aunt Margot tells me at Kensington Palace,
it's like a revolving door.

That…

"suitors" park outside her office

because it's the only place
with no security cameras.

One after another.

In and out.

In and out.

Unfortunately,
the Wales marriage is a rare example

of something that is actually worse
than the newspapers report.

[mournful organ music playing]

[indistinct whispering]

Sir…

the Queen has asked to see you
and the Princess of Wales

at the earliest opportunity.

[indistinct whispering]

[shuddering breaths]

- [snow whooshes]
- [gasp]

[snow whooshes]

[muffled grunt]

[Camilla over phone] You must be
so shocked by what's happened.

[Charles] It's all
too awful to comprehend.

But there is something I want to tell you.

In the moment
the avalanche was bearing down on me,

in that ghastly moment
where I was sure I was going to die,

I had a profound realization.

This whole thing…

my marriage, this situation,

the whole charade is madness.

- [girl] Hi.
- [man] Hey!

[Charles] I only want to be with you.

But you are with me.

[Charles] I mean fully. Completely.

As my wife.

Oh, darling…

The rest of it is just a terrible lie

that is making everyone involved in it,
everyone, utterly wretched.

[Diana and Charles chuckling]

[door opens]

[page] Sir?

[Charles] Thank you, Nigel.

Mummy.

Thank you both for coming.

I asked you here today
because word has reached me

about the difficulties
you're experiencing.

But something as important
as the marriage of the future monarch

simply cannot be allowed to fail.

Your marriage, all our marriages,

are a reflection
on the integrity of the Crown.

And if they show cracks…

that they cannot be relied upon,
then the constancy and stability

that the monarchy is supposed to represent
is called into question too.

So I would like to ask
one fundamental question of you both.

Does either of you
no longer want this marriage to work?

Well…

now that you mention it…

I have given it all some thought.

- And...
- No.

Wait!

I still want to make this marriage work.

With all my heart.

Then why have you broken your vows,
as I understand you have?

Because…

sometimes…

you don't know
how you feel about something…

until you've nearly had it taken away.

The moment I heard about the avalanche,

and the possibility that Charles might've…

I can't even say it.

In that instant,

I felt an overwhelming emptiness and loss.

And for the first time,

I saw all the hurt and the pain
that I've been inflicting on you…

and you on me.

And suddenly, it all seemed so childish.

So pointless.

[Elizabeth] And do you understand
what it takes to make a marriage work?

The respect one must show the other party.

The blind eyes one needs to turn.

The arrangements both of you must come to.

The freedoms both of you must respect.

And the rules you must abide by.

I am ready… to commit… to anything.

To go to any lengths.

And I want to say to you…

that I'm sorry…

for my part…

in everything.

Good. Well, that's that, then.

What?

Do I get a chance to speak?

[Philip] And say what?

What else is there to say?

[vehicle approaching]

[Charles] It's a nightmare.

I had the whole speech prepared,
then out of nowhere, Diana does that.

Ambushes me like that.

And Mummy, well, you know her.

So grateful the subject was over,

she couldn't get out of the room
quickly enough.

Well, I won't let this go.

I spoke to my protection officers.

They all know what she gets up to,
and if anything happens,

if Diana puts
even the slightest foot wrong,

if she even thinks about straying…

they'll let me know.

Major Hewitt's gone.

Eyes… left.

[Diana] I gave him the heave-ho.

Everyone else too.

No more little flirtations.

No more plan Bs.

All doors firmly shut.

Any more telephone calls
from Major Hewitt,

make sure to say I'm out.

I don't want to hear from him.

He can't just show up.

He's not welcome here anymore.

Ma'am.

[Diana] For the first time,
things do feel different.

I feel different.

Because I've realized how much
I want to make this marriage work.

And to that end,
with our seventh anniversary coming up…

Well…

I've had some ideas.

[Adeane] On the 21st, we have lunch

at the Community Enterprise Trust
in Hartlepool,

followed by a turf-cutting ceremony

at Hilton Colliery redevelopment site
in Sunderland.

What about the 22nd?

A presentation of new colors

to the 1st Battalion Gordon Highlanders
at Fort George, Inverness.

I'm trying to find time for a weekend
in Scotland with Mrs. Parker Bowles.

What about the 29th?

- That might be tricky.
- Why? I'm free the day before.

I'm not due back in Cornwall
until the 2nd, which is a Tuesday.

The 29th is your wedding anniversary, sir.

Of course.

As a matter of fact,

the Princess of Wales made a point

of requesting
you be in Highgrove that weekend.

She said
she had something specific in mind.

["Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
by Queen playing on car stereo]

[Diana and boys singing]
♪ I just can't handle it ♪

♪ This thing called love ♪

♪ I must get round to it ♪

♪ I ain't ready ♪

♪ Crazy little thing called love ♪

[Diana laughs]

[song continues faintly in background]

♪ Be cool, relax ♪

♪ Get hip
And get on my tracks ♪

♪ Take a back seat, hitchhike ♪

♪ And take a long ride on my motorbike ♪

♪ Until I'm ready
Crazy little thing called love ♪

- [boy] Who's that?
- Hello, boys.

Come on. Let's have you.

In you go. Come on.

[boys chattering]

- [William] There's three more over there!
- [Diana giggles]

- [Diana] Three in a boat!
- [laughter]

Prince overboard!

I'm coming!

[laughs]

- [William] Push me, Harry!
- [Harry] I'll help.

[Diana] Right.

[door opens]

[clears throat]

Thank you.

Gosh. [chuckles]

[Charles chuckles]

Oh, we haven't done our presents.

Right. Yes.

[clears throat]

Thank you.

[Charles] Aedes Althorpianae.
The history of your family home.

Commissioned by your
great-great-great grandfather in 1822.

It's a first edition.

Oh, Charles, that's lovely.

Thank you.

Now me.

It's a bit smaller.

Mmm.

Thank you.

I know how horrified you were
the last time I performed for you,

about how public it was.

I wasn't horrified.

Yes, you were.

I was… a little shocked.

Taken by surprise.

I know.

But I love to perform.

It's how I can best express myself,

and…

how I can show what I really feel.

So this time,

it's just between us.

No public. No one watching.

[monotone]

- What is this?
- Wait, watch.

[orchestra playing "All I Ask of You"
from Phantom of the Opera]

♪ No more talk of darkness ♪

♪ Forget these wide-eyed fears ♪

♪ I'm here, nothing will harm you ♪

♪ My words will warm and calm you ♪

♪ Let me be your freedom ♪

♪ Let daylight dry your tears ♪

♪ I'm here, with you, beside you ♪

♪ To guard you and to guide you ♪

♪ Say you love me ♪

♪ Every waking moment ♪

♪ Turn my head ♪

♪ With talk of summertime ♪

♪ Say you need me ♪

♪ With you now and always… ♪

[Charles] It was monstrous. Awful.

I thought the agony she inflicted on me
at the opera house couldn't be topped.

[Anne] What was it?

A video of Diana
singing some dreadful song

in some musical.

- Phantom of the Opera. Imagine!
- [Anne] What?

On the actual stage in the West End,
in costume, with all the real actors.

- Singing?
- If you could call it that.

I didn't know where to look.

The chap playing the Phantom
at least had a mask to hide behind!

Honestly, there's nothing more exhausting
than putting on a kind face.

I never realized how much scaffolding
a smile required.

[sighs] When is this nightmare
ever going to end?

- Oh, Charles.
- What?

I'm going to be frank with you.

No one wants your marriage to end,
not a single person.

Not Diana, not your children,

not your mother or father, not me,
not a single one of your friends,

and, most importantly,
not even the woman you think loves you.

- Oh, what rubbish!
- No, listen!

Listen to me.

No one can bear to watch
the mess you are making,

and someone
needs to explain things to you.

I'm close to Camilla's husband,
as you know…

Yes, I'm aware.

…and speak to Andrew regularly. And
while theirs is not a perfect marriage…

Understatement.

…it is a long-lasting marriage.

And, in its own way, a happy marriage.

- She's not happy.
- She's happier than you think.

- That he's bedding most of her friends?
- It's complicated!

The majority of marriages survive because
the majority of people aren't fantasists.

They are realists

and accept the imperfect reality
of being human.

And although Camilla doubtless
has feelings for you, deep feelings,

it is maybe not quite
the great Romeo-Juliet thing you imagine.

What? You're lying.

No, I'm not. I'm trying to protect you.

I come here seeking comfort
from my sibling, and what do I get?

The unvarnished truth.

What does one have to do
to get some kindness in this family?

[birds squawking]

[birds chirping]

I can't stay long. The children are home.

I need to know.

Do you still have feelings for Andrew?

- What?
- I don't mean normal feelings.

He's your husband
and the father of your children.

I mean special feelings.

- Anne told me that…
- [Camilla sighs]

Andrew, not I,
was the big love of your life,

and that… your feelings for me
were perhaps not as deep as I'd imagined.

That's not true.

Andrew has never adored me like you do.
Or shown me the same devotion.

He also doesn't need me like you do.

I do need you.

And that's why it's so important…

we both feel the same…

and want the same.

And that if the opportunity
were to present itself…

and I were able to escape this…

[sighs]

…calamity of a marriage…

that you'd be prepared
to do the same thing and leave Andrew.

Can you make me that promise?

What we both want and what we can
actually do are not the same thing.

It's important we remain realistic, sir.

But you have my word.

My love for you is real.

[Camilla] I should go.

[ringing tone]

[anchor] …and the environments
are being damaged.

Mrs. Thatcher has been welcomed in
Canberra by the Australian prime minister…

[line ringing]

[engine revving]

[line ringing]

[line beeping]

[woman] And one…

and two and three and four

and turn towards the barre…

And arms like this.

Come along, Diana.

And… and again.
And one and two and three and…

[telephone ringing]

[footsteps approaching]

[clears throat]

Highgrove.

Sir, the Princess of Wales on the phone.

[Charles] No.

Very good.

[Adeane] I'm afraid
the Prince of Wales isn't available,

but I will inform him you called.

[dance music playing]

♪ And I want you ♪

♪ And I want you ♪

♪ And I want you… ♪

[crowd cheering]

[line ringing]

[indistinct conversation and laughter]

[line continues ringing]

[crowd clamoring]

[cameras clicking]

- [line ringing]
- [dance music playing]

[telephone ringing]

- [crowd clamoring]
- [line ringing]

[no audible dialogue]

[telephone ringing]

[telephone ringing]

- [line disconnects]
- [panting]

[Diana] Hello?

Well, well, well…

[Diana laughing]

[suspenseful music playing]

[brakes squeak]

[inaudible dialogue]

- [man] Sir.
- Yes.

[continues indistinctly]

[indistinct conversation]

- Sir.
- Yes.

News from Kensington.

The Princess of Wales
has been meeting Major Hewitt in private.

[dramatic music swells]

[women vocalizing]

[classical instrumental music playing]