THE third series of The Crown thrilled fans on Sunday when it kicked off with the revelation the Queen unwittingly employed a KGB spy, Sir Anthony Blunt.
And I can exclusively reveal the storyline returns in season four with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher outing him as a traitor and humiliating Her Majesty in the process.
The flashpoint sets the tone for the ongoing relationship between the PM, played by Gillian Anderson, and Her Majesty (Olivia Colman).
A TV insider said: The creators of The Crown want to show just how strained the dynamic was between two leaders who had very different ways of operating.
“They wanted to maximise the drama between, arguably, then the most powerful women in the world.
The fact Maggie embarrasses the Queen by exposing the Blunt scandal was a great starting point, and the interactions between them deliver some sensational performances from Olivia and Gillian.
Blunt passed on 2,000 secrets to the Kremlin while working as the Queens art curator. He admitted his crimes in 1964 and his royal boss was informed.
Despite this, he was allowed to keep his job and given immunity from prosecution, with Her Majesty forced to hide the truth to spare MI6s blushes.
Then in 1979, new PM Maggie exposed the scandal. It brought shame on the Palace and the secret services.
The Queen found the relationship with her ninth prime minister one of the most difficult, but by the end of her time in Downing Street the disdain turned to respect.
Lets hope the transition doesnt happen too quickly in the new series of The Crown the greater the tension, the juicier the viewing.
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