Spoiler alert: This article discusses details of The Crown Season 6, Part 2.

Every season of The Crown has at least one—the episode where the royal family wrings its hands over the future of the British monarchy. Sometimes the catalyst is public backlash to their profligacy. Other times it’s the media’s impatience with the stodginess of an institution that seems more antiquated with each passing year. While such complaints are given some credence on the show, the solution that supposedly redeems the institution tends to be superficial. A vocal critic is brought to heel. A handful of commoners are invited to a glamorous event in the palace. A documentary is commissioned to humanize the Hous…