'The Crown' S6 Gives Insight Into Queen Elizabeth's Relationship With Charles

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If there's one thing this season of The Crown makes clear, it's that being a mom and a queen don't always go hand-in-hand. Especially when a death in the family makes global headlines.

From the strained mother-son dynamics between the Queen and Prince Charles, which played out front and center during season six, to the way the monarch dealt with accusations of sexual assault against her son, Prince Andrew, there was never any shortage of drama among the Queen's four children with husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who died in April of 2021 at 99.

Still, when Queen Elizabeth died on September 8, 2022 at 96, all four of her children, including Charles, daughter Princess Anne, scandal-ridden Prince Andrew, and her youngest son, Prince Edward, were at Balmoral Castle in Scotland with the British monarch, Reuters reported via ITV. Now, her eldest son, Charles, has ascended the throne as King of England, with his wife, Queen Camilla by his side. It's a new era for the royal family, but even with Charles' ascension, comes decades of family baggage.

The Queen's relationship with her children was scrutinized closely throughout the entirety of her 70-year-reign, and again in Netflix's The Crown. (She was the longest-reigning monarch in British history, according to the BBC.)

Here's everything you need to know about Queen Elizabeth's children (FYI, she had eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren) and her real-life relationships with them:

Queen Elizabeth’s first son: King Charles

The Queen was just 22 when she gave birth to her first son and heir to the throne, Charles. He was born on November 14, 1948, which meant he was only 3 years old when his mother ascended the throne, according to the BBC.

Prince Charles became the longest-serving heir apparent in 2011 (surpassing the previous record of 59 years, two months and 13 days, set by his great-great-grandfather, King Edward VII).

While most kids were practicing multiplication, Charles was busy becoming Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester. Charles didn’t attend Eton College (a boys’ boarding school founded by King Henry VI) like most British royals. Instead, he went to Prince Philip’s alma mater, Gordonstoun, in Scotland, after transferring from Cheam School. He didn’t have the easiest time at boarding school, especially with his royal blood, per Vanity Fair.

After secondary school, Charles went to Trinity College, where he became the first royal heir apparent to get a degree, according to Times Higher Education. He studied anthropology, archaeology, and history and even spent time studying at archaeological sites in France.

Charles served in the Royal Air Force, where he trained as a jet pilot, according to his official bio. He also served in Royal Navy, just like his father, grandfather, and both of his great-grandfathers.

Charles had a slew of girlfriends, including his now-wife and Queen of England, Camilla Parker Bowles and Davina Sheffield, a woman who was reportedly his "soulmate" but was deemed unsuitable for a future with the prince because she wasn’t a virgin, per Marie Claire UK.

Once he was done living the bachelor life, Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer, who was 13 years his junior. The wedding came with much media attention, but Queen Elizabeth reportedly wasn’t particularly fond of the famous princess, per numerous accounts. Princess Di and Prince Charles divorced in 1996, just a year before her death in 1997. Charles felt pressured by his family into marrying Diana, even though he was in love with Camilla at the time, according to Kitty Kelley’s book, The Royals.

Charles remarried in 2005 to Camilla, who is now Duchess of Cornwall.

Charles has done a lot of philanthropy work over the years, with a special focus on environmentalism and climate change. Even his mother’s coffin is sustainable, made with English moss and oak branches, which reflects Charles’s eco-friendly efforts, per People.

Queen Elizabeth and Charles allegedly weren’t close while he was growing up. The Queen left most of her parenting to the nannies, according to Charles. In his 1994 authorized biography by Jonathan Dimbleby, Charles said that it was "inevitably the nursery staff" who watched the young royal take his first steps and taught him life lessons, per Town & Country.

But the newly-appointed King was close with Queen Elizabeth’s mother, aptly titled The Queen Mother, until she died in 2002. Speaking at her funeral, Charles said that his grandmother "meant everything" to him and that he had "adored her" since childhood.

These days, King Charles is busy ruling over England while rumors about his sons' feud take over tabloids.

Queen Elizabeth’s only daughter: Anne, Princess Royal

Less than two years after Prince Charles was born, Queen Elizabeth gave birth to Anne, Princess Royal. She was born on August 15, 1950, when QE II was 24. Anne is the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. She is currently 17th in line to the throne (due to the patriarchal ascension system...ugh), behind her three brothers plus their children and grandchildren.

Unlike King Charles, Princess Anne rejects the notion that Elizabeth was an uncaring mother. Sure, the nursery staff did some of the heavy lifting, but according to her, the Queen made sure to spend quality time with her children. "I simply don’t believe there is any evidence whatsoever to suggest that she wasn’t caring. It’s just beggars belief," Princess Anne told the BBC in 2002. Anne and Queen Elizabeth bonded over their love for horses, and Anne became the first royal to participate in the Olympics, according to the organization's website. Keep an eye out for her competing on horseback in season four.

Princess Anne was also the target of a kidnapping plot in 1974, per Smithsonian Magazine. Attempted kidnapper Ian Ball swerved in front of Anne’s car, firing gunshots while attempting to get her out of her car.

Anne doesn’t shy away from her duties as Princess Royal. She "has one of the busiest working schedules of any member of the royal family," her official bio says. Odds are pretty high that wins her some props from her mom.

But, while Anne is busy, she’s made it clear she doesn’t love the custom of royal walkabouts, and she’s been pretty blunt about that. "I mean it gets easier but, can you imagine? I mean, how many people enjoy walking into a room full of people that you've never met before?" she said during BBC's 2018 program The Queen: Her Commonwealth Story. "And then try a street. I don't think many youngsters would actually volunteer to do that."

There’s reason to believe Queen Elizabeth didn’t always fully approve of her daughter’s actions, especially her divorce from Captain Mark Phillips, with whom she shared two children, Zara and Peter, per The Telegraph. The divorce was finalized in 1992 after it was revealed Phillips fathered a child outside their marriage. (His paternity was confirmed in 1991.)

That gave the Princess Royal an out, so she married once-rumored love Royal Navy Commanding Officer Timothy Laurence, per E! News. Now, Princess Anne works with more than 300 charities, according to the Royal Family's official website, and makes roughly 500 appearances a year, Woman magazine reported.

In 2019, Princess Anne made headlines for apparently refusing to greet President Donald Trump and then shrugging in response to a slight scolding from the Queen during a Buckingham Palace reception held as part of a NATO summit in London in December 2019. Some U.S. politicians viewed the incident as a public slight of the president, as reported by ABC News, but that doesn't appear to be the whole story.

According to CNN, the interaction between royal mother and daughter had nothing to do with Trump. Instead, the Queen was looking to see who was next in line to be greeted and the Princess' gesture and remark should have been read as a humorous response of, "It's just me..and this lot." Not a part of the official welcoming party, Princess Anne was actually just standing to the side and waiting for visiting dignitaries to finish entering the reception first. So, there you have it.

Queen Elizabeth’s second son: Prince Andrew, Duke of York

Nearly 10 years separate Anne and Prince Andrew, who was born February 19, 1960, when Queen Elizabeth was 33. As the third child—but second son—of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Prince Andrew is ninth in line to the crown. Prince Andrew’s older brother and sister were born before the Queen’s ascension, making him the first child born to a sitting monarch in 103 years, according to Biography.

By the time Prince Andrew was born, Queen Elizabeth had reigned for eight years. That made her more comfortable in her role, so she became a more hands-on mother, per Robert Lacey's biography of the queen, Monarch: The Life and Reign of Elizabeth II. The Queen even spent time "cycling and chasing" her younger children through Buckingham Palace.

Andrew has been wrapped up in several scandals over the years, starting with his almost-marriage to actress Koo Stark in the 1980s. (Koo later won a libel suit against Viacom for being described as a porn star by the media, per the Press Gazette.) The prince was introduced to his future wife, Sarah Ferguson, by Princess Diana, according to Hello!. The couple wed in 1986, and they had two children before divorcing in 1996 (which, like her other children's divorces, likely didn't please the Queen).

But the biggest scandal of Prince Andrew’s royal career happened more recently. According to the BBC, in 1999, Andrew started hanging around with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019.

In January 2022, Prince Andrew settled a lawsuit brought by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew of raping her when she was introduced to him via Epstein at age 17, per The New York Times. The settlement amount remains confidential, but rumors persist that the Queen helped with her son's legal costs, per Bloomberg.

It’s important to note that, in November 2019, Prince Andrew "stepped back from his public duties for the foreseeable future," according to his official bio. He has three grandchildren by his two daughters: August, Ernest, and Sienna.

After his mother’s death, Andrew is inheriting the Queen’s beloved corgis, and will bring them to live at The Royal Lodge in Windsor, per People.

When King Edward VIII gave up the throne for a woman.

Edward VIII took the throne in 1936, but renounced it a year later so that he could marry Wallis Simpson. The American socialite was a two-time divorcee and when Edward proposed, there was social and political uproar. The Church of England forbade him from marrying a divorced woman, and he was forced to abdicate the throne. This massive royal scandal changed the line of succession entirely, ultimately, pre-determining that 10-year-old Princess Elizabeth would become the future Queen of England.

How Edward VIII was supposedly friends with Adolf Hitler.

As fans of The Crown know, Queen Elizabeth II’s uncle Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson were known to have many encounters with Adolf Hitler. British intelligence had reason to believe that Wallis was handing over information to the Germans from documents that Edward VIII did not secure. The British government went to extensive measures to keep their companionship hidden, but a document published in 1957 confirmed it.

When Prince Charles drank a cherry brandy.

At the age of 14, Prince Charles ordered a cherry brandy at a pub in the village of Stornoway Harbor. Little did the prince know, there was a tabloid reporter in the pub who overheard him order. A seemingly innocent prince recalled in an interview for Vanity Fair, “I said the first drink that came into my head, because I’d drunk it before, when it was cold, out shooting.” The incident became a royal scandal, appearing in headlines on almost every tabloid.

That time Prince Harry spent one day in rehab.

After admitting to his father, Prince Charles, that he’d tried marijuana on numerous occasions and participated in underage drinking, the 17-year-old Prince Harry was sent to a drugs rehabilitation clinic for a one-day stay. An official at St. James’ Palace said it was a way “to learn about the possible consequences of starting to take cannabis.”

And when Harry was photographed in a Nazi costume.

Prince Harry was spotted at a costume party wearing a Nazi armband. Clarence House quickly released a statement that read, “Prince Harry has apologised for any offence or embarrassment he has caused. He realises it was a poor choice of costume.”

That time Prince Harry got caught naked.

Photos of Prince Harry show him completely naked, playing a game of strip billiards in Las Vegas. The 27-year-old prince was on a break before he was set to serve in Afghanistan for the British Army. He said after the incident, “At the end of the day I probably let myself down, I let my family down, I let other people down. But it was probably a classic example of me probably being too much army, and not enough prince. It’s a simple case of that.”

When Princess Margaret fell in love with a married man.

The princess spent a lot of time with Royal Air Force Officer Captain Peter Townsend, and the two eventually fell in love. The catch? Peter was already married. The scandal broke in 1953 when Peter divorced his wife and immediately proposed to Princess Margaret. Sadly, the couple ended their royal engagement two years later, knowing they’d never get the fairytale ending of their dreams. This heartbreaking romance is portrayed in the Netflix series The Crown.

When Princess Margaret's divorce was very public.

After her split from former lover Peter Townsend, Princess Margaret married a photographer named Antony Armstrong-Jones. In 1976 they made their official split and Buckingham Palace put out an announcement that said, "HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and the Earl of Snowdon have mutually agreed to live apart. The Princess will carry out her public duties and functions unaccompanied by Lord Snowdon. There are no plans for divorce proceedings.” Her very high-profile divorce became official in 1978, and she became the first (but, not the last) royal to get a divorce since King Henry VII in the 1500s.

When Princess Anne also fell in love with a royal staff member.

Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, was married to Olympic equestrian Mark Phillips for nearly 20 years before their divorce in 1992. The royal couple’s marriage had been described as a “joyless sham.” But, what ultimately prompted their divorce was when The Sun, a British tabloid, claimed it had anonymously received letters written to the princess. The letters were not published because the paper feared they’d be sued for copyright. But it was later announced that the princess had fallen in love with her one of her equerries, Timothy Laurence, who was a British Naval officer. After announcing her divorce, Anne added that she’d be marrying Timothy.

When Captain Mark Phillips had a lovechild.

Her name is Felicity Tonkin. While still married to Princess Anne, Captain Mark Phillips had a one-night affair with an art teacher from New Zealand named Heather Tonkin. She became pregnant and had the baby, who is now the half-sister of Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips. It was reported that Mark asked the woman to get an abortion.

When Mark Phillips said he was dating a woman 28 years younger.

In 2012, word broke that Captain Mark Phillips, formerly married to Princess Anne, was seeing 35-year-old Lauren Hough, who is an American Olympic show jumper. He confirmed that he was leaving his wife Sandy and broke the news to his then 14-year-old daughter, Stephanie.

When Prince Charles dated Princess Diana’s sister before her.

Lady Sarah McCorquodale, who is Princess Diana’s eldest sister, is most famously known for having introduced her to Prince Charles. Sarah is said to have dated the prince briefly in the 70s. Their romance quickly ended when she expressed that she’d never marry Charles “if he were the dustman or the King of England.”

When Princess Diana’s revealed her self-harm incident.

The “People’s Princess” said in an interview that she purposely threw herself down the stairs while four months pregnant with William, in an attempt to get Prince Charles’ attention. She had said he’d just rekindled his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, who we now know (and Diana knew) he was having an affair with.

When Princess Diana’s affair phone call was leaked...

In 1992, The Sun released the transcript of a recorded phone call between the Princess of Wales and her alleged lover, James Gilbey. She was still married to Prince Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth at the time. In the conversation, James called Princess Diana by the pet name “squidgy” 53 times to be exact and told her he loved her. The affair was dubbed “Squidgygate” because of the nickname.

...And then Prince Charles’ hot bedtime call was too.

Soon after, an Australian magazine released a scandalous transcript of a conversation between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. The phone call confirmed the rumors that the Prince of Wales was romantically involved with his lifelong friend. The incident was rightfully called “Camillagate.” It also revealed many dirty jokes that were exchanged between the two, including one about Prince Charles wanting to turn into a tampon in order to “live inside” Camilla's trousers.

When Princess Diana and Prince Charles got divorced.

In 1995, Princess Diana did an interview with Martin Bashir to discuss the pressures of being in the public eye. While she spoke about her issues with bulimia and postpartum depression, the princess also revealed that she knew about Prince Charles and Camilla’s affair, and even talked about her own love affair with her riding instructor, James Hewitt. The shocking interview led to their divorce in August 1996.

When Princess Diana died in a car accident in Paris.

Two big scandals broke from the death of the princess. It was rumored that Princess Diana's death was a "planned accident" and that Prince Charles was behind it. It was also reported that her boyfriend at the time, Dodi Al Fayed was killed alongside her in the accident. Dodi was the son of a billionaire, and was said to be engaged to former partner Kelly Fisher at the same time he was dating the princess. Dodi was wrapped in his own scandal, dealing with a lawsuit brought on by Kelly who said Dodi allegedly “jilted her at the altar.” She dropped the lawsuit after Princess Diana and Dodi’s death in 1997. It was also rumored that members of the royal family did not approve of Dodi and the princess’ relationship.

When Sarah Ferguson’s “toe-licking” photo was released.

Sarah Ferguson (a.k.a. Fergie) was married to Prince Andrew, Duke of York in 1986. Fergie took a vacation with an American financial advisor named John Bryan, where paparazzi captured images of him nibbling on her toes. Fergie and Andrew were divorced in May 1996 (one month before Charles and Diana!).

When "Fergie" took a huge bribe.

In 2010, a journalist went undercover as a businessman and offered Fergie £500,00 (which is about $633,000) in exchange for information about her ex-husband Prince Andrew, Duke of York. The Guardian reported that Fergie said to the reporter, “That opens up everything you would ever wish for. I can open any door you want, and I will for you. Look after me and he'll look after you...you'll get it back tenfold.” The Duchess later apologized claiming she had “a serious lapse in judgement.”

When rumors were flying that Prince Charles wasn't Harry's dad.

Perhaps the biggest rumor among the royals is that Prince Harry has another father. While surely untrue, it was not secret that Princess Diana was having multiple affairs during her marriage to Prince Charles. She confessed in an interview with BBC that she’d been having an affair with army officer, James Hewitt, and the internet still can’t get over the resemblance of the prince to James.

When a topless photo of Sophie Rhys-Jones made the front cover.

The Sun ran a topless photo of Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999, just months before she was to marry Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. Buckingham Palace condemned the paper, calling this act “a gross invasion of privacy.” The editor, David Yelland, apologized to Sophie saying they’d never publish another picture of her.

And when a topless photo of Kate Middleton was revealed.

Kate Middleton and Prince William went vacationing in Provence, France and returned to find that a photographer had taken pictures of the Duchess sunbathing topless on private property. Buckingham Palace came to her defense and said, “Their Royal Highnesses had every expectation of privacy in the remote house. It is unthinkable that anyone should take such photographs, let alone publish them." Criminal charges have been brought against the publication and the photographer.

When Kate Middleton had a Marilyn Monroe moment.

The Duchess has not caught on to the Queen’s trick of sewing weights into the hemline of her dress yet...though, she might have after this incident. Us Weekly reported that a German tabloid published photos of her after the wind sent her dress flying in the air, Marilyn Monroe-style. The palace did not comment on the decision to publish the photo.

When Prince William was caught dancing with a model.

It seems that Prince William took on the rebellious royal role—instead of Harry—this year, when he was caught dancing with a model, thought to be Australian-model Sophie Taylor, at a nightclub during what was supposed to be a boys ski trip. And there is video proof of it here. Needless to say, Duchess Kate was not thrilled.

When Prince Andrew introduced the Queen to his girlfriend who did porn.

The second-born son of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Andrew, began dating American-born Kathleen “Koo” Stark in 1982. Because Kathleen was a soft-core porn actress, many nude and suggestive shots of her appeared in British tabloids. People reported that the Queen did not know of Kathleen’s acting career prior to meeting her.

When Prince Andrew was accused of sexual assault.

In 2014, 17-year-old Virginia Roberts claimed she “was forced to have sexual relations with this prince when she was a minor in three separate geographical locations." She accused the prince and his billionaire friend, Jeffrey Epstein of keeping her as a “sex slave.” Buckingham Palace denied these allegations, and later a judge decided that all allegations against Prince Andrew be struck from court records.

When Queen Elizabeth was accused of a tax haven.

Newsweek reported that HRH “invested at least $13.1 million into offshore tax-sheltered funds located in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda.” This prompted party leaders and anti-monarchists to investigate into the Queen’s finances—her private funds, The Duchy of Lancaster—which led them to discover that the queen is avoiding $15 million in taxes on her $680 million duchy.

When it was revealed that Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillips are distant cousins.

Business Insider reported that the Queen and her husband share the same bloodline and are both directly related to Queen Victoria. “While Victoria is Elizabeth's paternal great-great-grandmother, Philip is related to the monarch on his mother's side” the article reads. The European royal families have been closely related for years, but it’s expanding more than ever now that they are allowed to wed commoners.

When news broke about the royal's hidden son, Prince John.

George V and Queen Mary had a sixth son named John. Due to epileptic seizures, Prince John spent the last four years of his life living hidden away in York Cottage at the Sandringham estate. The royal family believed his seizures could not be known to the public because it would show a sign of weakness. Prince John died in the cottage at the age of 13 after a tragic seizure. He would have been Queen Elizabeth II’s uncle.

When Princess Michael donned a racist brooch to the Queen's luncheon.

Princess Michael of Kent recently caught the media’s attention for wearing an inappropriate brooch to the Queen’s Christmas luncheon at Buckingham Palace. The piece of blackamoor jewelry fetishizes images of slavery and is considered dated and racist. People were quick to point out the offensive accessory and wondered if it had to do with the attendance of Meghan Markle, who is newly engaged to Prince Harry. Meghan, who will earn the title of “Duchess of Sussex” once wed to Prince Harry, is a biracial woman. While it is unclear whether or not the princess wore the brooch intentionally, Princess Michael has since apologized for the whole situation, adding that she’s worn the brooch “many time before, without controversy.” But, unfortunately, the princess has a history of racial indiscretions.

Queen Elizabeth’s third son: Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh

Prince Edward is the youngest of Queen Elizabeth’s children, making him 13th in line for the throne. He was born March 10, 1964, when the Queen was 37. People say the youngest child gets the most love, and that definitely seemed to hold true for Edward. After ascending to the throne, King Charles gave his brother the new title, "Duke of Edinburgh" (he was previously the Earl of Wessex, a title that has since passed to his son, James).

Edward also has a seemingly clean record and is a full-time royal. He holds two titles, the other being Earl of Forfar (in Scotland)—which he received for his birthday in 2018. (Now, that’s a bday gift.)

Prince Edward and his wife, Countess Sophie Rhys-Jones, are said to be the Queen and Prince Philip’s favorites, according to Town & Country. Maybe it’s because Prince Edward is the only child of theirs not to divorce. The couple married in 1999 and have two children together, Louise, born in 2003, and James, born in 2007.

After serving in the Royal Marines, Edward switched his career path from military to music. Edward worked for famous composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's theater company before beginning his own film production company, Ardent Productions, which shuttered in 2009, per People.

Although Edward is far down on the list of succession for the British throne, he actually had a shot of becoming the king of Estonia back in 1994 (the country became independent after the fall of the Soviet Union), per The Orlando Sentinel. He declined the offer.

After Queen Elizabeth died, the royal family's dynamics continued to change. And now that Charles is officially King Charles, there are a lot more changes in store. Stay tuned for more funeral and family updates.

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