The Crown Season 5 episode 1 recap/review: What Queen Victoria Syndrome is all about?

The Crown Season 5, the highly anticipated brand new season of the historic drama series, finally made its debut on the popular streaming platform Netflix, this Wednesday, November 9, 2022.

Created by Peter Morgan, the 5th season of the series has already begun to get a lot of positive responses from both viewers and critics for its arresting presentation of the series of events, remarkable direction, and performances by the cast members.

The official synopsis for The Crown Season 5, states:

"Inspired by real events, this fictional dramatisation tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign. It’s a new decade, and the royal family are facing what may be their biggest challenge yet: proving their continued relevance in ‘90s Britain. As Diana and Charles wage a media war, cracks begin to splinter the royal foundation."

The lead cast list for The Crown Season 5 entails Imelda Staunton, Lesley Manville, Jonathan Pryce, Dominic West, Jonny Lee Miller, and Elizabeth Debicki, among others.

Without further ado, let's dive right in and find out how the first episode of The Crown Season 5, titled, Queen Victoria Syndrome, has turned out.

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A recap/review of The Crown Season 5 episode 1: Queen Victoria Syndrome

What is "Britannia"?

Episode 1 of The Crown Season 5, titled, Queen Victoria Syndrome, has been written by Peter Morgan and directed by Jessica Hobbs. The first episode begins with a younger Queen Elizabeth II, portrayed by Claire Foy, who goes on to launch a grand royal yacht. Queen Elizabeth II also announces the name of the royal yacht for the first time, "Britannia."

In the present day, when Queen Elizabeth II is 65 years of age, the royal yacht, "Britannia", holds the same value for the Queen as it did the first time it was launched as it is the only property that the Queen owns by herself and is not passed down to her.

So, when Prime Minister John Major shows concern regarding the yacht's maintenance to the Queen, she does not take it lightly and states that it is of utmost importance to her, indicating her wish for it to be thoroughly maintained despite all its expenses.

Later on, during the Ghillies Ball, Prince Philip is seen berating Prime Minister John Major for his opinion on the Royal Yacht. However, Prince Charles is seen explaining to the Prime Minister that the yacht is old and its maintenance will cost a lot of money. This particular scene shows the deep conflict between the older and the new generation of the royal family.

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What is Queen Victoria Syndrome?

Queen Victoria Syndrome is a disgraceful term that is used in a story in The Sunday Times to describe how the public gets extremely tired and exhausted by getting ruled by an old monarch. The news is purposefully hidden from the Queen, however, she gets to see it from one of her staff members.

The Queen is rattled and quite disturbed to see words, including “Queen Victoria Syndrome" and “irrelevant”. She then realizes what the syndrome is all about. She understands that it denotes that the country is quite exhausted and tired from her long-running reign.

At the very end of the episode, the Prime Minister tells his wife that he feels like the royal family is about to break down and he fears that it is going to happen under his watch. The episode ends with Queen Elizabeth II staring at Queen Victoria's portrait with a disturbed expression on her face.

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Don't forget to watch The Crown Season 5 episode 1, which is currently streaming on Netflix.