How Queen Elizabeth Was Insulted By Jackie Kennedy

A recounting of events might be fiction, but a reported conflict between Queen Elizabeth and Jackie Kennedy that was depicted on Netflix’s “The Crown” may have actually had some basis in reality.

According to the Daily Mirror, some unpleasant exchanges between the current Queen of England and the former First Lady of the United States that unfolded on the streaming series were fictionalized, but creative license from the show’s writers wasn’t the only thing behind the scenes—and there was some historical accuracy behind it.

According to reports, after the actual visit in 1961, Mrs. Kennedy confided in photographer Cecil Beaton that she was really all that impressed by either the Queen herself or Buckingham Palace, also criticizing the Monarch’s dress and hairstyle. The claims were backed up by Gore Vidal, who also added that the first lady found Queen Elizabeth “pretty heavy going” and that she felt “resented” by her.

This moment was dramatized by the Netflix series, which took more liberties with the alleged comments.

In their re-telling, the Queen (Claire Foy) insists on giving the First Lady (Jodi Balfour) a tour of the palace, and days later, learns from Lord Plunket (Sam Crane) that her guest was rude about her, and he overheard comments that were made at a party held by Mrs. Kennedy's sister.

On the show, he claims that the first lady described the Queen as a “middle-aged woman so incurious, unintelligent and unremarkable” and that because of her, it was “inevitable” that Britain would become a newly reduced power in the world.

She also was overheard describing the palace as a “second rate, dilapidated and sad” place.

It's unclear what exactly was said about the real Queen Elizabeth, or how she reacted to the comments.