Cri de Coeur/Episode Summary

The Queen visits Princess Margaret to check up on her. Elizabeth is transparently concerned as Margaret is in bed near-noon, drinking and smoking while the room is wrecked. She confirms that her husband Antony Armstrong-Jones is cheating. Meanwhile, Antony is enjoying an evening with his new girlfriend. When they bring up the prospect of divorce he replies, “She’ll never divorce” me, which is met with “What if she falls in love with someone else?”.

Margaret later attends an election party, and when the topic of her husband comes up with a close friend, she claims that war is love. Flashbacks reveal how aggressive and passionate Margaret and Antony are with each other.

In regard to the election, no party has a majority government. Philip is astounded and ashamed of the politics in the UK, but Elizabeth is clearly concerned and raises the subject of her sister Margaret. Philip, as usual, is not too concerned and brushes it off.
At her birthday meal, Margaret gives a speech and raises the point that her husband has not turned up, and calls his recent actions with his other partner a betrayal to the monarch. She asks if the Royal Family can impose sanctions. While her emotions are running high, everyone on the table starts praising Antony, leading Margaret to blow up and ask the Queen Mother why she always takes a side.

Margaret decides to take her friend's offer of a small holiday. At a pool party, her friend tries to set her up with a man. Margaret has a keen eye for Roddy, and after a few exchanges, she notices he has not brought any trunks for the pool, so takes him shopping. After a lot of flirting while shopping, they finally return and enjoy the pool together.

At night, Margaret does her usual singing and a duet with Roddy. They enjoy each other's company but her friend notices how Roddy is a carbon copy of Antony, but much younger.

Antony takes a brief break from his marital affair and returns to the palace to meet The Queen. Elizabeth tells Antony that Margaret has been retched and lost recently but it is abundantly clear that she is still in love with him. Elizabeth asks if they could patch things up. Antony agrees with her sentiments but asks if she knows how Margaret has been conducting herself recently.

Margaret's brief holiday continues. Her romance blossoms with Roddy, but it is clear she is starting to miss Antony. Her secret is now up, with the paparazzi taking sneaky shots while she's on the beach.

The next day, Philip sees it in the papers and he is fuming. The Queen Mother requests that Margaret is brought back to the UK immediately. Antony's other partner thought that Antony would be happy about Margaret's happiness with another man, assuming it will be a path for them to be officially together. Antony is not amused, stating that Margaret is his wife and he has children with her.

As we reach the final third, Margaret arrives back to loads of paparazzi. When she returns home with Roddy, Antony is there, and she asks him to leave. Antony refuses to leave, claiming the home is also his and he points out the audacity that Roddy has come home with her. I agreed with him here — Roddy has some f–king balls to walk into another royal couple's house. The pair argue and Margaret tells Roddy to stay. Antony corners her as they start another passionate argument. Roddy decides to shoot off and before Margaret can stop him, he's gone.

Meanwhile, Harold Wilson, who is Prime Minister again after securing a minority government, meets The Queen and delivers the bad news that he has Alzheimer's. The Queen praises Harold and admits she was relieved when the previous Prime Minister Heath lost his government. Wilson delivers more news that he has no choice to stand down as leader and cheekily claims that the Queen is a “lefty at heart”. As Harold bows and leaves, The Queen asks if she and Philip could be invited for dinner to Downing Street — an honor she had only given Winston Churchill.
I enjoyed this conversation between The Queen and Harold Wilson, especially because their relationship started off quite tense with a socialist rise, but it was obvious that the Queen respected him a lot and they had a mutual affection for each other.

When Harold leaves, her advisor rushes through the door and delivers some shocking news — Margaret has overdosed on nitrazepam, which relieves anxiety and insomnia. The Queen Mother claims it was a cry for attention more than a suicide attempt — a “cri de coeur”, which in French means “a passionate appeal, complaint, or protest”.

The Queen visits Margaret who is exhausted in bed. Elizabeth asks her sister if she meant it, but Margaret is not sure. Margaret goes on to explain that she's not very good with men and scares them away. Margaret admits that she and Antony are going to separate, which will lead to divorce and put a blemish on the crown. The Queen claims the divorce will be good timing because the Prime Minister is about to stand down. The Queen tells her sister that Margaret is good at being a sister, and wells up.

It's Jubilee Day. The Queen enjoys a bath and her breakfast. It flashes back to The Queen asking Margaret her view on Jubilee Day and whether she should still do it. Elizabeth feels she has been useless and unhelpful and her reign has seen plenty of unstable governments. Margaret assures her that the monarch “papers over the cracks” and tells her to hold it together as there is “only one Queen”. The Queen rides out in her carriage and notices a supportive husband and a depressed-looking Prince Charles. She looks on in deep thought.