Queen Elizabeth II inherits the throne and faces scandals and rumors involving her sister, her marriage, and even her way of leading. The Queen must forge her own path, walking a tightrope between old tradition and those, like her husband, who want to modernize the monarchy.

Prince Charles, next in line to succeed his mother, Queen Elizabeth, is under great pressure to find a wife and produce an heir for the Windsor dynasty. He meets and marries Lady Diana in a grand public wedding, but privately the couple faces serious issues.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana become superstars on the world's stage as their family grows. But, the marriage between the Prince and Princess of Wales starts to fall apart, leading to divorce, and the queen begins to face the greatest challenges of her long reign. In 1997, the world mourns alongside the royal family after Diana is tragically killed in a car crash.