From grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle stepping down as senior members of the royal family and moving to the United States, to Prince Andrew’s involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and, of course, COVID-19, 2020 has been one of the most difficult years of the Queen’s long reign.
WATCH: Queen Elizabeth and Kate Middleton step out for their first joint appearance
And now, as the fourth season of the hugely popular series, The Crown, continues to roll out on Netflix with unflattering portrayals of her family, New Idea understands Her Majesty is at her wits end.
“The Queen has had a bad year with Megxit, Prince Andrew and COVID … what she doesn’t need now is a lot of bad headlines based purely on a fictional TV show,” explains Phil Dampier, author of Diana: I’m Going To Be Me.
“Whereas previous episodes were set in the dim and distant past where a certain amount of artistic licence was understandable, this latest series drags up a time of great turmoil and unhappiness in the royal family, with most of the players still alive.”
This season particularly focuses on the Diana, Charles and Camilla love triangle, and has been criticised for inaccuracies.
“Even if The Crown was accurate – which it isn’t – the Queen must despair at it all being raked up 20 and 30 years after the events,” Phil adds.
Concerned about what kind of impact this entire year has had on the 94-year-old monarch, the Duchess of Cambridge is said to be supporting Her Majesty behind palace walls and is in constant contact with her.
“One bright positive for the Queen this year has been the tremendous support she’s received from William and Kate,” says Phil.
“They have become very close and talk on the phone all the time. Kate has become the Queen’s biggest supporter and wants to protect her.”
In fact, with rumours continuing to swirl that the Queen could step down next year on her 95th birthday, Phil says Kate is one of the only members of the royal family encouraging Her Majesty to stay on the throne.
“Kate would love the Queen to remain fit and healthy up to 100 and stay on the throne for as long as possible,” says Phil.
“She knows there will be plenty of time for her and William to reign, but at the moment she realises her number-one duty is to back up the monarch.”
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