The Crown has covered a half-century of royal romances, and in the newly released Part 2 of the sixth and final season, it chronicles a more recent one: the courtship of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Episode 5 shows William returning to school at Eton while still grappling with the immense loss of his mother Princess Diana — but also becoming a worldwide heartthrob to millions of adoring girls. (He had bags full of fan mail waiting for him in his dorm room.) He shies away from the spotlight, though, and bristles when Charles wants him to take photos together as a happy family. Later, he explodes on Charles, blaming him for driving his mother into Dodi’s arms and ultimately to her death. But they eventually mend fences, thanks to an unlikely assist from Charles’ father Prince Philip.
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In Episode 7, a 15-year-old Kate Middleton has a chance encounter with Diana and William at a charity event, with her mother Carole (House of the Dragon’s Eve Best) pushing her to say hello. Years later, when William chooses St Andrews for university, Carole takes note, and Kate enrolls there as well, with William’s classmates dubbing her “Beautiful Kate.” William starts seeing a society girl named Lola, but he keeps his eye on Kate, and sparks fly when they exchange notes in an art history course they’re both taking. Lola notices the sparks, too, which leads to a tense library confrontation followed by a split, and when William heads home on break, he spends the whole time pining for Kate, who’s now dating a fellow student named Rupert Finch.
A lovelorn William apologizes to Kate for the awkward run-in with Lola, but she still takes Finchie home with her for the holidays. She seems uncertain, though, and when Carole presses further, we learn that Kate thinks her mother has orchestrated her whole life to match her up with William. (Kate wanted to go to Edinburgh with her friends, but Carole encouraged her to choose St Andrews instead.) Carole lets it slip that William is miserable and thinking of leaving school altogether — and then late at night, William receives a text on his Nokia cell phone: “Please don’t leave uni. Kate.”
Their love blossoms in Episode 9 when a newly single Kate struts down the runway in a sheer dress during an infamously “risqué” fashion show. She later admits to William that she went with the bold look “to know, one way or the other, if you were interested.” He quickly says he is, “to the point where I thought, if I couldn’t be with you, I’d sooner not be here at all.” They even share a kiss… but a bodyguard interrupts to tell William that his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother, is on her deathbed. He has to hurry home for her funeral, and also has to endure a harrowing new investigation into Diana’s death. But after a heart-to-heart with Elizabeth and a resolution of the Diana inquiry, William travels to meet Kate’s family. They make plans to live together on campus with another couple… and another great royal love story is written.
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Laura Davis is an entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to Broadway, she offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
