‘The Crown’ retells abdication poll and ‘Queen Victoria Syndrome’ in new season

The Crown returned to Netflix on Nov.9 with a new season and an explosive new take on historical events of the Royal family.

The first episode of season five, set in 1991, titled Queen Victoria Syndrome, has given fans a rare look at the growing dilemma with the monarchy.

The episode also retells the fallout of a Sunday Times newspaper poll that revealed the public briefly favored Prince Charles over the Queen – leading to a supposed plan to encourage Her Majesty (Imelda Staunton) to abdicate the throne.

The poll's results suggested that the public thought the monarch was suffering with 'Queen Victoria Syndrome' and should have voluntarily abdicated.

Queen Elizabeth II reigned for a record 70 years, overtaking her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who previously held the record of being on the throne for 63 years.

In the Queen Victoria Syndrome episode, the then-Prince Charles (Dominic West) references a poll that showed he was more popular among the British public than his mother.

The poll was also titled ‘Queen Victoria syndrome’ and is believed to have appeared in The Sunday Times.

The popularity of the monarchy was in steep decline, with three out of four Britons polled believing that the royal family was falling apart. There was also growing concern that the monarchy was costing the country too much money.