Everything ‘The Crown’ Got Right and Wrong About Prince Philip

2. But his parents didn’t blame him for his sister’s death

The ninth episode of The Crown’s second season, “Paterfamilias,” details Philip’s teen years at the notorious Gordonstoun boarding school. And it reveals a devastating story about his familial ties. According to the series, his sister Cecile made plans to visit him when he was 16 — and was thus able to avoid flying to a family wedding in London, which she was terrified to do.

Then, Philip got in trouble for fighting on school grounds, and Cecile had to change her plans. Her plane crashed, she died and her family died, and his parents blamed him for his sister’s horrible end.

It’s a tragic turn of events — but it’s also wholly inaccurate. According to royal historian Hugo Vickers, The Crown unduly assigned blame to Philip by changing the course of events.

Vickers told Vogue, “There was no fight, almost certainly no half term, and Prince Philip would not have gone to Germany anyway. His sister was always coming to the wedding.” In other words, The Crown sensationalized Philip’s family trauma for the sake of drama — and they were way off-base.