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The Crown: Part Ten

By Michael Moriarty
web posted March 30, 2020

We begin with a guessing game about His Royal Highness’ inexplicable pain from tensions we are never quite sure of.

Why all these “tensions”?

Glimpsing the photo of a pretty female face with whom the Prince’s physical therapist is acquainted, things for His Royal Highness improve rather swiftly.

Meanwhile?!

A scandal is brewing!

Christine Keeler
Christin Keeler

The rather well-known but scandalous affair between Christine Keeler and John Profumo is being examined.

Then the face of a “Mystery Man”, also the title of this episode, is shown.

Is the “Mystery Man”, in a photo which includes a call girl and a Russian spy, merely a look-alike of John Profumo?

Or is he John Profumo?!

We shall see, of course, but at this point, so early in the episode, he is the Mystery Man.

An interesting introduction to Prime Minister Harold Macmillan’s married life and his wife’s opinion of her husband, as a “trusting, credulous fool?!”

Profumo, not incidentally, is, or was, Prime Minister Macmillan’s Minister of War.

Despite his wife’s opinion of him, PM Macmillan expresses his support for Profumo before the public and the press.

By the way, our impressively fertile Queen is pregnant again.

Far more than enough drama to make a television series, let alone well-known history.

Adding to the dramatic nature of it all, the Queen’s iron levels are disturbingly low.

Not dangerously!

Close to it, however.

The Queen also learns that, unbeknownst to her, her husband, His Royal Highness, is off for the weekend without telling his wife.

Even more surprising is to learn that it is not Friday.

It is Wednesday!

A rather long weekend.

Knowing what we know?

There is much now to doubt about the Prince’s side of the promise and mutual bargain with his Queen.

To make matters worse?!

The Queen’s brother-in-law, the photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones, Lord Snowden, seems particularly busy as a photographer and in all corners of the world except England.

Lord Snowden
Lord Snowden

How’s his marriage going with the sister of Queen Elizabeth?

“Tony’s” description of what binds he and his wife together is “absence”!

As the scandals and increasingly possible scandals grow, Prime Minister Macmillan offers his resignation to the Queen.

He feels, “amidst all this”, he can’t go on!

The Queen virtually orders him to remain in office, at least till her pregnancy is completed!

He agrees.

Oh, under doctor’s orders, she is taking a leave of absence for two months.

She must rest.

That is why she cannot accept Macmillan’s resignation.

To make matters worse, Macmillan’s wife continues to enjoy humiliating him and possibly with the help of “another man”.

If this were all fiction?!

You wouldn’t believe it!

So, after realizing her husband has not been keeping his side of “The Bargain” for the sake of the marriage?!

She’s in a train, off to Scotland!

For her two month “rest”.

A headline she cannot avoid reading: “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN THIS COUNTRY?!”

While Prime Minister Macmillan is attending a political satire that has even himself as the object of ridicule.

He can’t help but laugh.

It is our series’ small but important tribute to the profound importance of the theater for keeping the public informed of the truth.

With that I will leave you.

I particularly underline anything that pays tribute, directly or indirectly, to one of my favorite deities: Dionysus, Ancient Greek God of the Theater. ESR

Michael Moriarty is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor who starred in the landmark television series Law and Order from 1990 to 1994. His recent film and TV credits include The Yellow Wallpaper, 12 Hours to Live, Santa Baby and Deadly Skies. Contact Michael at rainbowfamily2008@yahoo.com. He can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/@MGMoriarty.

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