The theme of his growing dissatisfaction with his long stint as heir runs throughout the episode, as he repeatedly maligns what he perceives to be the monarchy\u2019s paltry attempts to modernise itself. As the on-screen Charles tells Camilla<\/a> that \u201callowing the public into the royal box at Albert Hall from time to time\u201d isn\u2019t going to cut it.<\/p>\n In this episode, The Crown shows this idea being mooted at a meeting of the newly formed Way Ahead Group. Described by the Lord Chamberlain as an \u201cinformal council of war\u201d, this group of senior royals and officials that was formed in the 1990s aimed to chart a new path for the monarchy, so it can survive \u201cin a rapidly changing world\u201d.<\/p>\n But in the drama, Charles is unimpressed by the suggestions put on the table, railing against his fellow attendees \u2013 including his mother, the Queen<\/a> (Imelda Staunton) \u2013 as he thunders: \u201cWe should be thinking of something much more radical\u2026 I say why not abolish the Civil List [a yearly sum paid by Parliament, to cover the royal family\u2019s working expenses] altogether? Have the monarchy fund itself?\u201d<\/p>\n In reality, the Way Ahead Group did agree to some more radical reforms. According to the Financial Times<\/a>, the Civil List was slashed so it only provided for the Queen, Prince Philip and the Queen Mother \u2013 the Queen agreed to fund the other royals\u2019 working expenses herself. The royal family also chose to cover the costs of restoring the fire-damaged Windsor Castle<\/a> themselves (as covered in our guide for episode four) rather than asking taxpayers to step in.<\/p>\n Later in the episode, Charles goes as far as to set up a \u201crival court\u201d, having cited it as a tradition dating back to the 18th-century. Afterwards, Princess Anne relays this to a shocked group including the Queen: \u201cCharles has been slowly but surely setting up his own court at St James\u2019s,\u201d she says, \u201chis own Camelot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Historian and royal commentator Dr Ed Owens told HistoryExtra<\/em>: \u201cThe court set up by Charles at St James\u2019s palace was not so much designed to rival that at Buckingham Palace but instead to give the Prince of Wales greater freedom in terms of running his everyday activities.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n He continued: \u201cCharles had carved out a new, independent role for himself as Prince of Wales and this was essentially his way of assembling a team of trusted advisors who could help him carry out his work, free from the oversight of Buckingham Palace.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> Likewise, The Crown<\/em>\u2019s portrayal of a Charles who was chafing at the bit to become king doesn\u2019t reflect the nuances of the situation. Although in 2004 Charles himself apparently revealed \u201cnobody knows what utter hell it is to be Prince of Wales\u201d, he also said, according to this 2018 BBC article<\/a>, that: \u201cIt\u2019s vital to remember there\u2019s only room for one sovereign at a time, not two.\u201d<\/p>\n Royal biographer Penny Junor has also weighed in on his feelings surrounding the ascension. When discussing Charles\u2019 attitude to ascending the throne<\/a> at the start of 2022, she said: \u201cThis is a moment that he has been dreading all his life really, because his achieving the top job \u2013 the job he\u2019s been training for and preparing for all these years \u2013 does inevitably mean the death of his mother, and he loves his mother very dearly.\u201d<\/p> As part of his earlier preparation for becoming king, Charles threw himself into charity efforts, supporting more than 400 organisations. The Crown<\/em> focuses particularly on his work with The Prince\u2019s Trust, as we see him deliver a rousing speech to an audience of young people, telling them that \u201cI want to reach those that are being overlooked, rejected; to make sure that you\u2019re being given a chance.\u201d The prince seems to relish his involvement, even good-naturedly being pulled in to a breakdance circle at the end of the episode.<\/p>\n According to The Prince\u2019s Trust website<\/a>, Charles set up the charity in 1976 (following on the heels of the Duke of Edinburgh\u2019s Award which Prince Philip had launched in 1956), to help young people overcome their disadvantages. Over the decades, the trust has continued to grow, forming high-profile partnerships with groups like the Premier League, and by 2020 it had helped one million young people.<\/p>\n Aside from Charles\u2019 gripes over his position as heir, his relationships also dominate the episode. Although still married to Diana<\/a>, their relationship has broken down, and Charles is embroiled in a relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles (who is married to Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles).<\/p>\n The episode chooses to depict how one late-night phone conversation between the pair is recorded by an amateur radio enthusiast, who stumbles across their call by chance. The conversation quickly turns from one of Charles\u2019 upcoming speeches to more intimate topics, with the prince admitting: \u201cGod, I wish I could just live inside your trousers or something\u201d. When Camilla asks, \u201cWhat are you going to turn into, a pair of knickers?\u201d Charles replies: \u201cOr, God forbid, a Tampax \u2013 just my luck.\u201d<\/p>\n The steamy conversation is sold to The Daily Mirror<\/em>. In The Crown\u2019s portrayal the editor refuses to run it immediately, due to the fear of \u201cbeing responsible for breaking up a royal marriage\u201d, so the tapes are put on ice. That is, however, until Diana and Charles announce their formal separation three years later, when the papers view the tapes as fair game.<\/p>\n We then see the royal family\u2019s horrified reaction to the scandal play out on screen, with Philip coming down particularly hard on Charles \u2013 in the episode, he berates him in front of his family, telling his son how \u201cashamed\u201d he is.<\/p>\n While the content of the tapes might seem like The Crown<\/em>\u2019s creators have taken some artistic license, the audio is lifted almost word-for-word from the real-life transcript (although we see a shortened version of the conversation play out on our screens). When the tapes were published in\u00a0People<\/em> in 1993, they did cause widespread uproar.<\/p>\n Ed Owens told HistoryExtra<\/em>: \u201cA large section of the British population seem to have been interested in what was simply the latest instalment of \u2018royal sleaze\u2019 (there were several such royal sex scandals in the early 1990s). Thousands more readers than usual purchased the Sunday newspaper The People<\/em> in order to get their hands on a copy of the full transcript of the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n In terms of how the Queen and Philip felt about the tapes, Owens says: \u201cLittle is known about how Elizabeth II and Prince Philip reacted to the Camillagate tapes. But one can speculate that the Queen would have been horrified that such a lewd, private conversation had been made public.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Crown<\/em> depicts Charles, still reeling from the fallout of the tapes, being persuaded by some of his advisors to reveal a different side of himself to the nation. They suggest he takes part in a TV special, where he would be interviewed by Jonathan Dimbleby. \u201cThere is an element of risk,\u201d Charles\u2019 private secretary Richard Aylard tells him, \u201cas the interview was bound to touch on his marriage, but there\u2019s a far greater prospect of reward.\u201d<\/p>\n As The Crown shows, Charles was indeed interviewed by Dimbleby in a TV special, Charles: The Private Man, The Public Role<\/em>, which aired in June 1994. As Sarah Gristwood told HistoryExtra<\/em><\/a>, during the two-and-a-half hour special Charles \u201cadmitted infidelity and revealed both a lack of sympathy for Diana\u2026 and a worrying distance from his family\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/7\/2022\/11\/TheCrownS5E500145804-5fec00a-e1668014846669.png?quality=90&resize=620%2C412"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>What was the Way Ahead Group?<\/h2>\n
Charles\u2019 rival court?<\/h4>\n
What happened in the Camillagate tapes?<\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Was Charles interviewed by Jonathan Dimbleby?<\/h2>\n
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