The Crown: Part Nineteen
By Michael Moriarty
web posted August 10, 2020
Saturday!
The day after the Aberfan tragedy.
Given the dire nature of the tragedy, PM Wilson attempts to persuade Queen Elizabeth to visit Aberfan.
She basically says that the last thing the rescue parties and the disaster help need right then is “the Queen turning up!”
“I’m not sure I agree,” says the PM. “Children have died, A community is devastated.”
“What precisely would you have me do?” questions the Queen.
“Comfort people.”
“Put on a show?! The Crown doesn’t do that.”
“I didn’t say ‘Put on a show’. I said comfort people.”
She can say nothing.
He excuses himself and leaves her presence.
There’s no doubt about this program’s producer’s political affiliation.
Now even the Queen refers to herself as “The Crown”.
That is not a person, of course.
It is headwear!
Sunday!
It seems that the Lord Snowden, husband of Princess Margaret, learns of Aberfan?!
He goes to Aberfan himself.
He then calls from there, at a pay phone booth, and requests that his wife kiss the children.
As she relays his description to the Queen, “Minors digging for coal, now digging for their children.
Then, at the mortuary, parents were waiting to identify their children’s bodies!
After that, he went to the hospital, to comfort a man holding his son’s school cap.
After the hospital, he just walked and walked and walked and walked.
She had never heard him like that.
“I hope never to again”, says the Princess to the Queen… who stares out in silence.
Monday.
The authorities are now seen defending themselves by blaming the rainfall.
Painfully disgraceful.
With a Labor Prime Minister, such a worker’s tragedy automatically hurls the blame at government and Wilson for not insisting the necessary safety measures in a potentially dangerous profession be constructed!
Wilson’s wife, Marcia, insists that he and Labor NOT be “crucified” by this nightmare.
She entirely blames the Tories!
We all in the audience, or most of us, wonder who the producers of this series will end up blaming.
I suspect it will not be Labor.
Mrs. Wilson insists that her husband “blame it on the Tories!”
“Make sure they take the blame!”
“And if you can’t do that? And you won’t press it on The House? And you won’t go after the NCB… we should look for another establishment… to deflect negative attention!”
“Who?” he asks.
“Her!”
“The Queen?!”
“You must admit her behavior is symptomatic of Establishment neglect!”
“Her behavior is unfortunate”, replies Wilson.
He comments that the Queen “finds such a thing difficult!”
“Losing your children is difficult! Losing brothers and sisters is difficult! Living in a mining village where the coal boards abandon you is difficult!! And instead of sticking the knife in her and allowing us all to vent our anger at someone cold-hearted?! You’d sooner let your own team take the blame! Yer pathetic! You disgust me!”
“So ya keep telling me,” he replies.
“If you want to be a real leader?! A real man?! A REAL Socialist?! Yer going to have to grow some BALLS!”
We shall see… what he can do about that!
Divorce his wife would be my first suggestion. 
Michael Moriarty is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor who starred in the landmark television series Law and Order from 1990 to 1994. His recent film and TV credits include The Yellow Wallpaper, 12 Hours to Live, Santa Baby and Deadly Skies. Contact Michael at rainbowfamily2008@shaw.ca. He can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/@MGMoriarty