LIFE The Years of the Crown

There is a royal way of being-stoic, dry-eyed, and most importantly, private. And by maintaining an air of opacity despite their very public lives, scandals, and mishaps, the royal family has captured the attention and intrigue of the world. Readers buy tabloids promising to expose their secrets, viewers have tuned in to watch their special moments since Elizabeth first took the throne, books telling inside accounts have sold millions of copies. The world eagerly wants to learn as much as they can about what this royal family is like behind closed doors. That’s why the streaming hit The Crown, which has earned high praise for its relatively accurate historical account of Queen Elizabeth’s life, has been held in such high regard by viewers season after season. The show evolves with the Queen’s life, the cast rotating as the real-life royals grow in both age and confidence in their roles. And for all the insight the Netflix series provides, the real-life version of these stories, is just as rich and compelling. This special edition is a chronicle of the highs and lows of Queen Elizabeth’s monarchy, with “on-screen” photo gallery interstitials showing the same moments in her life from the series.

LIFE: The Years of The Crown

LIFE Bookazines

A Subject of Global Fascination and Obsession • In the wake of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning ruler, the American focus on all things royals has never been more pronounced.

Personal Charm • Riding high (in convertibles or on elephants) or bending low (it’s what Gan-Gans do), the Queen has left some sweet images of gentle times

An Unlikely Path to the Throne • Had all gone according to plan, Elizabeth would have lived her life largely out of the public eye. But when her uncle, King Edward VIII, gave up the throne in the midst of a romantic scandal, Elizabeth was thrust on a path to become a monarch herself

A Princess and Her Journey • The first season of the Netflix drama The Crown featured a young Elizabeth trying to balance personal affairs and political drama as she becomes the queen of England and copes with the death of her father

A Queen Rises • From a deep sadness, Queen Elizabeth II met the challenge of the throne head on. After a triumphant coronation, crisis and scandal during the early years of Elizabeth’s reign helped shape her into a ruler who could weather stormy waters with calm

The Troubled Early Years • The Netflix series captured the dramatic moments that challenged Queen Elizabeth and speculated about some conversations and tension that would have happened behind closed doors

Decades of Change • From the 1960s through the next two decades, the royal family was in the spotlight like never before. The era brought with it milestones and turmoil that challenged Elizabeth, along with two additions to the family that shifted her focus

The Years Pass and a New Cast Enters • The 1960s and ’70s marked an evolution in Elizabeth’s family life and her reign, which the show captured by updating the cast between the second and third seasons

A Modern Monarchy • Amid times of tragedy and upheaval for the royal family, the birth and maturing of Prince Charles and Diana’s two sons, William and Harry, ushered in new promise for the future and Queen Elizabeth II’s legacy

A Private World Meets Public Frenzy • The fourth season of The Crown featured the royal family grappling with the monumental changes that accompanied Prince Charles’s marriage to Diana, as well as the impact of Britain’s first female prime minister

Photo Credits