‘The Crown’: Queen Elizabeth’s ‘Annus Horribilis’ Speech and What Happened to the Royal Family in 1992

Episode 4 of The Crown‘s fifth season is ominously titled “Annus Horribilis.” It’s a unique phrase, one that was popularized by Queen Elizabeth II during her Ruby Jubilee speech in November 1992. 

As the year was drawing to an end, the queen used the speech to reflect on the scandals that had rocked the royal family over the previous months, admitting, “1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure.”

From the constant press attention on Prince Charles’ unhappy marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales, to paparazzi scandals surrounding Prince Andrew’s split from Sarah Ferguson, to the Windsor Castle fire that caused millions in damage to the royal family’s primary residence, there was plenty for the queen to be distraught about at the end of 1992, and The Crown explores it all in the moving episode.

Here’s a look at all the things that conspired to make the year the queen’s “annus horribilis.”

The Scandals 

Undoubtedly the biggest royal scandal in 1992 — and for much of the ’90s — was the media scrutiny surrounding Princess Diana, and the end of her marriage to Prince Charles. But 1992 was the year of two major breaches of trust between Diana and the royal family.

First, was the publication of Andrew Morton’s tell-all book, Diana: Her True Story. Upon its release, Morton claimed that he did not interview Diana for the book, but it was later discovered that she recorded a series of stream-of-consciousness recordings with her friend, James Colthurst, that Morton used to craft the book. 

The biography featured shocking revelations including Diana’s multiple suicide attempts, memorably one where she threw herself down a flight of stairs while pregnant with Prince William, her struggles with eating disorders, and the difficult life she faced within the royal family.