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The Crown has come to an end.As Netflix bids a royal farewell to the popular show, this last season was filled with what-ifs and maybes from the Queen’s hesitancy to step down for Prince Charles, to watching Tony Blair’s popularity rise and fall.

SPOILERS AHEAD-

Part two of the season starts off with an awkward and mono-syllabalic Prince Williamgrieving his mother. The focus on William’s appeal to young girls/women was overdone. There was nothing merely significant about his actions — in fact, the director succeeded at showing the young prince’s normalcy, he experiences grief as any other teen. We did see moments of his struggle to adapt to the royal role and the attention that led to his identity today.

Then there’s the William vs Harry dynamic. Harry was demonized for being the “troublemaker,” while William was portrayed as the “sensible” and “responsible” one. Speaking of the red-headed prince, Dominic West, who plays Charles, attributes Harry’s book, Spare, as a tool that helped him be more in character and to understand how Harry felt during that season, calling it a “gift.”

We also see the fateful ‘meet-cute’ between William and Kate at St Andrews University. The Princess of Wales’ common middle-class background with no connections to the royal family made her relatable — but what shocked many was her mother, Carole (Eve Best, aka Princess Rhaenys of House of the Dragon), scheming for her daughter to attract the prince because Kate told him that she, like most women, fancied him. A lot of people called the portrayal a “ good job,” while others deemed Carole’s actions true and described it as “canny,” “desperate,” “pushy,” and “meddling,” as per The Standard.

Finally, the controversy was left for last: The Queen’s talks for abdication, the approval of Charles’ marriage to Camilla, and the preparation and foreshadowing of her funeral were in the last episodes. We also painfully watched how the death of the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret took a toll on an aging Elizabeth — you will sense that this season does build up a sympathizing narrative, since it was filmed when the long reigning monarch passed away.

WHAT YOU WON’T SEE- The Harry-Meghan debacle and any further events leading up to today. Many reviews called it a “ cop out ” and a “ mesmerizing mess ” while others say that it’s better left this way.

You can catch the final episodes of The Crown on Netflix.

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