I’ve never been drawn to non-fiction books, as much as I am to fiction, but lately, I’ve been making a conscious attempt to dive into the non-fiction world. So I bought Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, my first non-fiction in years while I was in the UK. However, despite my best intentions, I couldn’t read past the first half of the book! There was nothing wrong with Sapiens – I think I was just not in the right head-space to read which to me is a bit of a heavy subject. So I decided to give non-fiction another go with The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume 1.
I watched The Crown (Season 1) when it first came to Netflix, and absolutely loved it! But I was curious to know how much of it was based on facts. Did the thrilling encounter with the African elephants actually take place, as depicted in Episode 2, when Princess Elizabeth made her way to the Treetops Hotel in Kenya’s Aberdare National Park with her husband? Was Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh that unhappy when a proclamation was declared that his children and descendants will be styled Windsor, Queen Elizabeth II’s name instead of Mountbatten? Not only did it answer my questions, it also provided me with a different perspective on what it means to be royalty. For instance, when I watched The Crown, I felt Queen Elizabeth II’s anger directed at Queen Mother for not letting her have a formal education as a child was just. But this book details the homeschooling Princess Elizabeth and her sister, Princess Margaret received. They were brought up by strict nannies who taught them how to behave like ladies – the book describes how the Princess’s first nursery nanny once snapped at Princess Elizabeth for putting her elbows on the tablecloth while having tea – and those are not the kind of lessons you learn at school in a traditional setting. Princess Elizabeth also spent almost six years with the Vice-Provost of Eton studying the intricacies of the Constitution. So at the end of the day the education Princess Elizabeth received served her well to be the monarch she is today, but at the same time, I empathize with the little girl who wanted to learn what other kids learned.
The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume 1 is an excellent read. The book is not limited to what just happens on screen, it gives us more information to help us put events into context. I highly recommend it to fans of the TV show, and now I’m looking forward to both Season 2 of the TV show and Volume 2 of the book.
