Den unge prinsesse Elizabeth gifter seg med prins Philip. Helsen til kong George VI forverrer seg og Winston Churchill blir valgt til statsminister for andre gang.

Når kong George er for syk til å reise, legger Elizabeth og Philip ut på en samveldeturné over fire kontinenter. Partilederne forsøke å undergrave Churchill.

Med Elizabeth i en ny rolle, prøver Philip å få større innflytelse. Churchill ønsker å utsette kroningen. Kong Georges vanærede bror dukker opp.

Når en tett sky av smog lammer London i flere dager og skaper stor helsefare, gjør Churchills passive holdning ham sårbar for de politiske motstanderne.

Elizabeth handler i strid med protokollen og lar Philip koordinere kroningen — men ideene hans skaper konflikt. Hertugen av Windsor returnerer til London.

Margaret og Peter kommer til Elisabeth med en forespørsel. Når en kongelig skandale er i ferd med å nå avisene, griper dronningmoren inn.

Samtidig som Sovjetunionen tester hydrogenbomben, blir både Churchill og Eden alvorlig syke. Elizabeth ansetter en lærer for å gjøre opp for en mangelfull utdanning.

Elizabeth og Philip drar på en krevende verdensomspennende reise. Margaret overtar noen av søsterens offisielle oppgaver og prøver å friske opp i ting.

Når spenningen mellom Philip og Elizabeth forverres, tilbringer Elizabeth tid med sin gamle venn Porchey. Churchill får malt et portrett til 80-årsdagen sin.

Margaret og Peter gjenforenes, men en annen hindring kommer i veien. Elisabeth rives mellom pliktene sine og kjærligheten til søsteren.

Philip drar på en lang reise, og Elizabeth gjør en oppskakende oppdagelse. Statsminister Eden vil slå tilbake når Egypt erobrer Suezkanalen.

Elizabeth føler seg distansert fra Philip. Eden må takle internasjonalt press og dårlig helse. Et intervju vekker til live opprivende minner for Philip.

Den indre krets på slottet prøver å forhindre en skandale som kan sette Philip i et dårlig lys. Eden møter kritikk fra regjeringen og pressen.

Elizabeth og Philip inviterer til en storslått fest for å feire 10 års bryllupsdag, men både Margaret og den nye statsministeren får problemer med romantikken.

Elizabeth gir en ufølsom tale på en Jaguar-fabrikk, og både hun og monarkiet angripes av en frittalende lord.

Et dokument fra andre verdenskrig får Elizabeth til å innse den mørke sannheten om et familiemedlem. Hertugen av Windsor jobber for å vende tilbake til offentligheten.

Et brev fra Peter Townsend får Margaret til å komme med et dristig forslag. Elizabeth har gode nyheter som skaper problemer for Margaret.

Elizabeth er inspirert av Jackie Kennedy og har en ukonvensjonell tilnærming til å løse et problem med Ghana, til tross for at regjeringen er uenig.

Philip insisterer på at prins Charles skal studere ved hans gamle universitet i Skottland, og minnes vanskelighetene som forandret livet hans mens han gikk der.

En uanstendig regjeringsskandale blir personlig for Elizabeth og Philip. Elizabeth trekker seg tilbake til Skottland for å hvile under en vanskelig graviditet.

The royal family mourns the passing of Winston Churchill. The United Kingdom ushers in a new prime minister, the Labour Party's Harold Wilson whom Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth hear might be a Soviet spy.

While Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon visit the USA, the queen, at the bidding of Harold Wilson, asks them to make a side trip to Washington, D.C. to ask President Johnson for financial assistance for the United Kingdom.

A horrible disaster in the Welsh town of Aberfan leaves scores of children dead, but when the Queen takes a week to decide to visit the town to offer solace to its people, she must confront her reasons for postponing the trip.

Left without a home by a political coup in Athens, Philip's eccentric mother, Princess Alice of Greece, is invited to live in Buckingham Palace by the Queen.

While the Queen travels abroad to learn about horse training, unhappiness among the British elite with the devaluation of the pound involves Lord Mountbatten in a plan to oust Harold Wilson.

Prince Charles is sent to Aberystwyth to learn Welsh from an ardent nationalist in preparation for the ceremony for his investiture as Prince of Wales.

The 1969 moon landing occasions a mid-life crisis in Prince Philip, who thinks of the adventures he has missed as the Queen's consort.

Charles visits the exiled Duke of Windsor in his Paris chateau, only to find him very ill. But will the Queen make peace with her uncle before he dies?

While Princess Anne dates her elder brother's polo rival Andrew Parker Bowles, Prince Charles falls deeply in love with Camilla Shand causing the Queen Mother and Lord Mountbatten to interfere.

As her marriage falls apart, Princess Margaret finds solace in the arms of a much younger landscape gardener. The Queen and the nation celebrate Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee.

As Elizabeth welcomes Britain's first woman prime minister and Charles meets a young Diana Spencer, an IRA attack brings tragedy to the royal family.

Margaret Thatcher visits Balmoral but has trouble fitting in with the royal family, while Charles finds himself torn between his heart and family duty.

After Charles proposes, Diana moves into Buckingham Palace and finds her life filled with princess training, loneliness — and Camilla Parker Bowles.

While Margaret Thatcher struggles with the disappearance of her favorite child, Elizabeth reexamines her relationships with her four children.

As Thatcher's policies create rising unemployment, a desperate man breaks into the palace, where he finds Elizabeth's bedroom and awakens her for a talk.

On a tour of Australia, Diana struggles to balance motherhood with her royal duties while both she and Charles cope with their marriage difficulties.

Grappling with mental health issues, Margaret seeks help and discovers an appalling secret about estranged relatives of the royal family.

As many nations condemn apartheid in South Africa, tension mounts between Thatcher and Elizabeth over their clashing opinions on applying sanctions.

Charles is caught in a deadly avalanche, prompting both him and Diana to reevaluate their commitment to their troubled marriage.

Amid a growing challenge to her power, Thatcher fights for her position. Charles grows more determined to separate from Diana as their marriage unravels.

A much-needed update to the Royal Yacht draws scrutiny to the Queen's reign. Hounded by the press, Charles and Diana have a second honeymoon in Italy.

Prince Philip offers his support to a grieving family member. Keen to snatch a scoop, a tabloid journalist approaches Diana about a tell-all book.

In 1946, an Egyptian street vendor finds inspiration in the abdicated King Edward. Years later, he eagerly tries to integrate into British High Society.

Between a fire at Windsor Castle and tensions in her children’s marriages, the Queen commemorates and reassesses her 40 years on the throne.

Faced with the fallout of an intercepted call with Camilla and the consequent kickback to his marriage, Prince Charles must navigate a scandal.

Eager to lead a newly democratic Russia, President Yeltsin tries to win the Queen's support while she navigates new rifts in her marriage with Philip.

As BBC's Martin Bashir goes to great lengths to secure an interview with Diana, the lonely princess finds purpose and warmth in a London hospital.

The Queen spends quality time with Prince William. On Guy Fawkes Night, fireworks make for a perfect distraction from Diana's BBC interview.

The Princess of Wales contends with the repercussions of her statements. The Queen asks the Prime Minister for his help in a delicate family matter.

After heightened public scrutiny, Charles forges a new alliance in Hong Kong. Mohamed Al-Fayed offers his support to a newly-divorced Diana.

Diana holidays in Saint-Tropez with Al-Fayed and bonds with his son Dodi. Charles is crushed when the Queen won't attend Camilla's 50th birthday party.

Cameras flash and a media circus swirls as Diana and Dodi spend more time together. In retaliation, Charles stages a fatherly photo op with his sons.

Dodi's father urges him to propose, but marriage is the last thing on Diana's mind. Later, a high-speed car chase with paparazzi ends in disaster.

As the world mourns, the Queen's silence prompts ire and warnings from a grieving Charles. How will she rise to the occasion and mother her nation?

Hounded by press and adoring girls, 15-year-old William struggles to find stability after Diana's death. Charles enlists his own parents to help his son.

Eager to improve the monarchy's public image, the Queen seeks out savvy statesman Tony Blair — but the Prime Minister's advice defies royal protocol.

Now at university, William sets his eyes on Kate Middleton. With meddling parents and other prospects in the mix, how will their connection bloom?

After a series of strokes, a declining Margaret recalls a wild night with her sister at the Ritz in 1945, and later celebrates her 70th birthday there.

Reeling from loss and wary of her Golden Jubilee, the Queen bonds with William, who finds his footing between normality and life in the royal limelight.

The Queen gives Charles the green light to wed Camilla. Tasked with planning her own funeral ahead of her 80th birthday, she faces an existential crisis.