The Crown: Queen Elizabeth sought quid pro quo from British PM for Prince Philip

The Crown's episode titled "Act of God" portrays Prime Minister Winston Churchill as a leader who pays little heed to the natural catastrophe brought upon by toxic fog in London.

The veteran leader is on the verge of being thrown away as young Queen Elizabeth is approached by opposition figures to play her part as head of the state.

During her meeting with the prime minister, the Queen asks Churchill what he has in mind to cope with the situation.  In the same meeting, she informs the PM about her husband Prince Philip's flying lessons. She is shocked by Churchill's response when he says the Duke of Edinburgh needs the cabinet's approval to learn flying.

 When the opposition seems prepared to topple Churchill for his failure to act in the face of the "Great Smog " of 1952 and the Queen seems to agree with the PM's opponents, the prime minister wins the hearts of Londoners with his visit to a hospital. At the end of the episode when the fog lifts, the Queen reveals to her grandmother how she convinced Churchill to seek cabinet approval for Philip to learn flying. She gives the impression that the matter went to the cabinet as part of a quid pro quo between the monarch and the British prime minister. The episode portrays the Queen as a woman who wants to see her husband happy after all the personal 'sacrifices' he made for his wife. 

Historical TV series "The Crown", which is about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, has attracted a lot of criticism from experts for the portrayal of several members of the British royal family.

While many British viewers have enjoyed watching “The Crown”, the most recent season has attracted criticism from some commentators over scenes suggesting that the late Princess Diana was treated coldly, even cruelly, by senior royals.

Columnist Simon Jenkins of the Guardian newspaper accused the fourth season of having “upped the fabrication and the offence”.

Arguing that modern history was “too close to what should be sacred ground - bearing witness to passing events”, he wrote that artistic licence could not justify fabrications that showed living or recently dead people in the worst possible light.

Meanwhile, Netflix has rejected a call from Britain’s culture minister to add disclaimers at the start of episodes of its hit series “The Crown” to make clear that it is a work of fiction.