Fairytale (The Crown)

Last updated

"Fairytale"
The Crown episode
The Crown Fairytale.png
Lady Diana Spencer (Emma Corrin) departs Buckingham Palace for her wedding ceremony. The series' costume designers consulted with the original dress' designers to recreate the item for this episode; the appearance of Corrin in costume on set rendered the production crew speechless.
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 3
Directed by Benjamin Caron
Written by Peter Morgan
Original release date15 November 2020 (2020-11-15)
Running time56 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Balmoral Test"		Next →
"Favourites"
The Crown (season 4)
List of episodes

"Fairytale" is the third episode of the fourth season of the historical drama television series The Crown . The 33rd episode overall, it was released on Netflix on 15 November 2020, alongside the rest of the season. "Fairytale" stars Olivia Colman, Tobias Menzies, Helena Bonham Carter, Josh O'Connor, Emma Corrin, Marion Bailey, Erin Doherty and Emerald Fennell, and was written by series creator and executive producer Peter Morgan, and directed by executive producer Benjamin Caron.

Contents

Set in 1981, the episode depicts the engagement of Charles, Prince of Wales (O'Connor) to Lady Diana Spencer (Corrin), culminating in their wedding. Diana struggles to adapt to her new position, and it becomes clear that the match is unsuitable.

"Fairytale" received critical acclaim, with particular praise given to its psychological exploration of Diana and Corrin's performance.

Plot

Under pressure from his family to find a suitable wife, Charles, Prince of Wales proposes to Lady Diana Spencer. Diana celebrates her engagement and, on the advice of the Buckingham Palace staff, immediately moves into the Palace. On her arrival, she irritates Princess Margaret and has difficulty following royal protocol. She is more warmly received by the press, though Charles is evasive when asked in a television interview if the couple is in love. Charles then departs on a foreign tour, leaving Diana alone.

Diana is sternly tutored in the royal way of life by her grandmother, but is otherwise left to her own devices in the Palace. She is comforted by the wealth of supportive letters she receives from the public but is unable to arrange a meeting with Queen Elizabeth and develops bulimia. At lunch with Camilla Parker Bowles, a meeting encouraged by Charles, Diana is embarrassed over how little she knows about her fiancé in comparison to the other woman. She then discovers designs for a bracelet, apparently a gift from Charles to Camilla; she again attempts to contact Elizabeth, insisting the marriage cannot go ahead.

On his return to the country, Charles first visits Camilla but claims to Diana that both this and the bracelet were intended to end their association. Concerned by what she saw at the wedding rehearsal, Margaret later speaks out against the marriage to Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Elizabeth speaks to Charles, insisting that his duty requires the marriage to go ahead and he will come to love Diana over time. While the public celebrates their union, Charles and Diana solemnly prepare for their wedding.

Production

"Fairytale" was written by Peter Morgan, the creator of The Crown, and directed by Benjamin Caron. It is the eleventh episode of the series directed by Caron and the second in the fourth season, following "Gold Stick".

Morgan chose not to depict the wedding of Charles and Diana itself, focusing instead on the couple's engagement period; according to Corrin and O'Connor, this was because the ceremony can easily be viewed on YouTube. [1] Nevertheless, Diana's wedding dress was recreated for the episode's final moments. Costume designers Amy Roberts and Sidonie Roberts consulted with the real dress's designers, David and Elizabeth Emanuel, to recreate the item; according to Caron, seeing Corrin wearing the dress rendered the production crew speechless. [2] Elizabeth Emanuel expressed her approval of the dress's recreation. [3]

The episode makes significant use of popular music contemporary to its early-1980s setting, as listened to by Diana. Tracks featured include "Edge of Seventeen" by Stevie Nicks, "Girls on Film" by Duran Duran and "Song for Guy" by Elton John. [4] In the scene where the latter track is used, where Diana performs a free-form ballet dance, Corrin elected to dance to Cher's 1998 song "Believe" during filming. [5] The scene was initially edited to be scored by Martin Phipps's soundtrack music before John's estate agreed to the use of "Song for Guy", resulting in a stylistic departure for The Crown. [6] An isolated vocal track of "Edge of Seventeen" is also used over the episode's end credits, by the permission of Nicks. [4]

"Fairytale" is dedicated to the memory of Karen Smith, The Crown's location manager, who died in 2020. [7]

Reception

"Fairytale" received extremely positive reviews. In a five-star review, Vulture.com's Sarene Leeds identified the episode's unflinching depiction of the monarchy's shortcomings and the "abysmal chasm" between Diana and Charles. She summarised that "to see this well-trodden story finally played out the way it most likely did, culminating in a complete mental breakdown, is both agonizing and, strangely enough, a relief". [8] In Medium.com, Thomas J. West further praised the depiction of Diana's eating disorder, the awkwardness of her entry into Buckingham Palace and the complexity of Charles's character. [9]

Writing for The A.V. Club , Caroline Siede praised the episode's foregrounding of Diana's youth to imply a "medieval" aspect to her marriage to the older Charles. Siede also noted Corrin's skill in "conveying the physicality of a 19-year-old", although she felt that the episode could have held Charles accountable for her unhappiness to a greater degree. [10] Further praise for Corrin was expressed by Meghan O'Keefe of Decider , whose analysis of her portrayal of Diana focused on moments seen in "Fairytale". Asserting that Corrin's depiction is "hands down the best onscreen Diana we’ve ever seen", O'Keefe praised her "technical craft" and allusions to her "hidden despair". [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diana, Princess of Wales</span> Member of the British royal family (1961–1997)

Diana, Princess of Wales was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her activism and glamour, which made her an international icon, earned her enduring popularity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Eugenie</span> British princess (born 1990)

Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank is a member of the British royal family. She is the younger daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York. She is a niece of King Charles III. At birth, she was 6th in the line of succession to the British throne and is now 11th. She is the younger sister of Princess Beatrice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duchess of Cornwall</span> British royal family title

Duchess of Cornwall is a title held by the wife of the heir apparent to the British throne. The Duchess of Cornwall is usually also the Princess of Wales, and goes by that title. The current title-holder is Catherine, whose husband, Prince William, became the Duke of Cornwall on 8 September 2022, upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Before her, Catherine's stepmother-in-law, Queen Camilla, publicly used the title Duchess of Cornwall when she married.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles</span> 2005 British royal wedding

The wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles took place in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall, on 9 April 2005. The ceremony, conducted in the presence of the couple's families, was followed by a Church of England Service of Prayer and Dedication at St George's Chapel. The groom's parents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, did not attend the civil wedding ceremony, but were present at the Service of Prayer and Dedication and held a reception for the couple in Windsor Castle afterwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Family Order of Elizabeth II</span> Honour bestowed on female members of the British royal family by Queen Elizabeth II

The Royal Family Order of Elizabeth II is an honour which was bestowed on female members of the British royal family by Queen Elizabeth II. The order is worn by recipients on formal occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personality and image of Elizabeth II</span> Public depiction of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

The image of Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms and Head of the Commonwealth from 1952 to 2022, was generally favourable throughout her years as a reigning monarch. Conservative in dress, she was well known for her solid-colour overcoats and matching hats, which allowed her to be seen easily in a crowd. She attended many cultural events as part of her public role. Her main leisure interests included horse racing, photography, and dogs, especially her Pembroke Welsh corgis. She ate jam sandwiches every day since childhood. Some of her other favorite foods were fish and chips, chocolate perfection pie, scones with jam and clotted cream, salmon from the River Dee and Morecambe Bay potted shrimp. Her views on political issues and other matters were largely subject to conjecture. She never gave a press interview and was otherwise not known to discuss her personal opinions publicly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewels of Elizabeth II</span> Historic collection of royal jewellery

Queen Elizabeth II owned a historic collection of jewels – some as monarch and others as a private individual. They are separate from the gems and jewels of the Royal Collection, and from the coronation and state regalia that make up the Crown Jewels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer</span> 1981 British royal wedding

The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer took place on Wednesday, 29 July 1981, at St Paul's Cathedral in London, United Kingdom. The groom was the heir apparent to the British throne, and the bride was a member of the Spencer family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wedding dress of Lady Diana Spencer</span> Wedding dress of the future Princess of Wales

Lady Diana Spencer's bridal gown was an ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown, with a 25-foot (7.6 m) train and a 153 yards (140 m) tulle veil, valued then at £9,000. It was worn at Diana's wedding to Charles, Prince of Wales in 1981 at St Paul's Cathedral. It became one of the most famous dresses in the world, and was considered one of the most closely guarded secrets in fashion history.

<i>The Crown</i> (TV series) Historical drama television series

The Crown is a historical drama television series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, created and principally written by Peter Morgan and produced by Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television for Netflix. Morgan developed the series from his film The Queen (2006) and his stage play The Audience (2013), which also focus on Elizabeth.

<i>The Crown</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of The Crown follows the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II. It consists of ten episodes and was released by Netflix on 8 December 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewels of Diana, Princess of Wales</span> Collection of jewels

Diana, Princess of Wales, owned a collection of jewels both as a member of the British royal family and as a private individual. These were separate from the coronation and state regalia of the crown jewels. Most of her jewels were either presents from foreign royalty, on loan from Queen Elizabeth II, wedding presents, purchased by Diana herself, or heirlooms belonging to the Spencer family.

<i>Diana</i> (musical) 2019 musical

Diana is a musical with music and lyrics by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro, and a book by DiPietro, based on the life of Diana, Princess of Wales. A filmed performance was added to the streaming service Netflix on October 1, 2021, to negative reviews.

<i>The Crown</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of The Crown follows the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II. It consists of ten episodes and was released by Netflix on 17 November 2019.

<i>The Crown</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of The Crown, which follows the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II, was released by Netflix on 15 November 2020.

<i>The Crown</i> season 6 Season of television series

The sixth and final season of The Crown, which follows the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II, was released by Netflix in two volumes. The first volume of four episodes was released on 16 November 2023, and the second, consisting of six episodes, was released on 14 December. The season began production shortly before the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022.

<i>The Crown</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of The Crown, which follows the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II, was released by Netflix on 9 November 2022. It was the first season of the series to be released following both the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on 9 April 2021 and the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022; filming took place between the former and the latter's death.

<i>Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After</i> 1992 US-Canadian film made in England directed by John Power

Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After is a dramatic television movie of 1992 telling the real-life story of the failed marriage of Charles, Prince of Wales, and his first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales.

"Gold Stick" is the fourth series premiere of the historical drama television series The Crown, and the 31st episode overall. It, alongside the rest of the season, was released on Netflix on 15 November 2020. It was written by series creator and executive producer Peter Morgan, and directed by executive producer Benjamin Caron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fashion of Diana, Princess of Wales</span> Describes the fashion and style of Diana, Princess of Wales

The fashion of Diana, Princess of Wales, had a substantial impact on the clothing industry; her style in the 1980s and 1990s led her to be considered a fashion icon.

References

  1. ↑ Bentley, Jean (13 November 2020). "Why 'The Crown' Season 4 Won't Show Charles and Diana's Wedding". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  2. ↑ Kreienberg, Maggie (11 November 2020). "Stars of 'The Crown' Spill on Recreating Princess Diana's Iconic Wedding Dress". Brides.com. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  3. ↑ Perry, Simon (5 October 2020). "Princess Diana's Wedding Dress Designer Praises The Crown's Version of Gown: 'It Captures the Spirit'". People . Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  4. 1 2 Leszkiewicz, Anna (27 November 2020). "How 'The Crown' Embraced '80s Pop". New York Times . Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  5. ↑ Collis, Clark (20 November 2020). "How Cher helped Emma Corrin through Princess Diana dance scene on The Crown". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  6. ↑ Tangcay, Jazz (21 June 2021). "'The Crown' Team on the Importance of Diana Dancing to Elton John in Season 4". Variety . Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  7. ↑ Morris, Lauren (15 November 2020). "Who was Karen Smith? The Crown episode 3 dedication details". Radio Times . Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  8. ↑ Leeds, Sarene (15 November 2020). "The Crown Recap: Unhappily Ever After". Vulture.com . Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  9. ↑ West, Thomas J. III (23 November 2020). "TV Review: "The Crown: Fairytale" (S4, Ep. 3)". Medium.com . Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  10. ↑ Siede, Caroline (17 November 2020). "The Crown puts Lady Di's fractured fairy tale front and center". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  11. ↑ O'Keefe, Meghan (17 November 2020). "The Crown: Emma Corrin is the Best Princess Diana Ever Seen on Screen". Decider . Retrieved 27 January 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.