Was the Queen’s ‘affair’ with Lord Porchester in The Crown real and who was ‘Porchie’?
THE third series of the Crown has stirred controversy by insinuating that Queen Elizabeth II once had an affair with a man named Lord Porchester.
But who was he and what did the show actually depict? Here's what we know...
Who was Lord Porchester?
Lord Porchester, real name Henry Herbert, was a British peer and the 7th Earl of Carnarvon, a port town in north Wales.
He was also the grandson of the George Herbert, an aristocrat who funded the search for and excavation of the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Porchester was also a lifetime personal friend of the Queen's, and from 1969 served as her racing manager.
He died aged 77 in 2001.
What happened in The Crown?
Porchester is played by actor Joseph Kloska in Netflix drama The Crown, which depicts a fictionalised version of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, currently played by Olivia Coleman.
The third series is set to be released on November 17, and spans the period between 1964 and 1977.
At one point in the series, the Queen reportedly travels around Europe with "Porchie" visiting a number of farms.
On her return to the UK, she is probed about the trip by Prince Philip, played by Tobias Menzies.
In response, she tells him: "If you have something to say, say it now.
"Otherwise, if you don’t mind, I’m busy."
Did the affair actually happen?
There is no evidence to suggest the affair actually took place.
Dickie Arbiter, former press secretary to the Queen, told the insinuation was "very distasteful and totally unfounded".
"The Queen is the last person in the world to have ever considered looking at another man," he said.
"Not only is this muckraking, this is gossip that’s been washing around for decades.
"It’s got absolutely no substance.
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"No one knows any conversation between members of the royal family, but people will tell the story they want to and sensationalise it."
A source told the last year: "The Queen realises that many who watch The Crown take it as an accurate portrayal of the Royal Family and she cannot change that."
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