Corgis in the very first shot of an episode? Now that’s more like it. We’ve jumped a bit back in time for this intro — to Windsor Castle in 1943 — but it’s important for setting up the dynamic between the Queen and Princess Margaret that will shape the rest of their lives. When Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936, he set the monarchy off in an uncharted direction that ended up putting Elizabeth (played by Verity Russell in the flashback) in line for the throne. The thing is, she doesn’t want the throne. At least, she didn’t as a child when young Princess Margaret (played by Beau Godson) suggested she offer herself up for the role instead. You can guess how that conversation went, and the resentment has followed Margaret all the way to the mid-1960s, when we join her and Tony as they set off on a royal tour of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Arizona, and New York.