The Crown: What is the "Balmoral Test"?

Diana and Margaret Thatcher got him behind them in the fourth season of "The Crown". Does the "Balmoral test" really exist?

In the fourth season of the Netflix series "The Crown", which has been available since November 15, both Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, played by Gillian Anderson (52), and Lady Diana Spencer (Emma Corrin, 24) will be the "Balmoral- Test "subjected. How close is the TV show here to reality?

According to British media reports, there are actually stories of a so-called "Balmoral test" in which the royal family looks at how their guests behave and conform to the rules. Including the very uncomfortable moment that is also shown in "The Crown": Thatcher sits on Queen Victoria's (1819-1901) chair during her visit to the Scottish castle.

It didn't end well for Thatcher

In the book "Diana: Your True Story", which is based on interviews with Princess Diana, Andrew Morton (67) writes about Balmoral: Since Queen Victoria bought the property in 1848, it has had a special place in the hearts of the royal family. "The quirks and obscure family traditions" that have emerged over the years could intimidate newcomers, however. "Don't sit there" is said to have been heard from guests who were "stupid enough" to sit on a chair in the drawing room that was last used by Queen Victoria herself. That's exactly what happened, according to "The Crown" Thatcher.

Prince Philip actor Tobias Menzies (46) is quoted by "The Version": "It is tradition that all prime ministers are invited to Balmoral in August." Margaret Thatcher travels to Scotland with her husband Denis Thatcher on the TV series: "It doesn't end well, she's a fish without water, she's amused, humiliated and confused by the strange rules, and in the end there is a certain distance between Thatcher and the Queen, which then continues throughout the season. "

Diana's great triumph

The "real" Thatcher never mentioned such an episode. There was reportedly no doubt that Thatcher disliked going to Balmoral. John Campbell's book "The Iron Lady" states: "Ms. Thatcher hated going to Balmoral once a year. She was not interested in horses, dogs, or country sports, and watched the outdoors – long walks and picnics any weather – that the royal family enjoyed on vacation as 'purgatory'. " It is also true that Thatcher, as "The Crown" portrays it, didn't have the right shoes. Indeed, the Prime Minister allegedly couldn't wait to escape Balmoral. And the Queen is said not to have been unhappy when she left.

While Thatcher goes down in "The Crown" in Balmoral, Diana achieves the great triumph "on the most important weekend of her life", as her grandmother impressed upon her upon arrival. "Those who successfully navigate this social minefield popularly known as the 'Balmoral Test' are accepted by the royal family. Those who fail are fading from royal favor as quickly as the mists come in and out of the highlands go, "writes Andrew Morton in his book.

"The most stressful time of the year"

In addition to Queen Victoria's chair, there are apparently other possible faux pas in Balmoral: a strict dress code that involves constant changes of outfits, or an unchangeable sequence of activities … In "The Diana Chronicles", Tina Brown writes that Diana is the Queen when she is first Meeting there actually impressed with how happily they went for walks through the Scottish moors: "The Queen found them charming and appropriate." Diana passed the test "thanks to her aristocratic background and upbringing", explains Royal expert Omid Scobie at "Bazaar.com".

But the love for country life was allegedly not real: Diana is said to have pretended to be because she was "crazy about Charles," says Andrew Morton. When her marriage began to run down, she is said to have hated the stays in Balmoral and the "bad atmosphere there", according to her biographer: Instead of vacation, it was "the most stressful time of the year".

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