After Elizabeth

THE LATEST BRITISH ROYAL DRAMA HAS MORE plot twists than the juiciest episode of The Crown, the hit Netflix series chronicling the life of Queen Elizabeth II. Only this real-life saga might more aptly be called As the Crown  Turns, with a cast of characters and story developments to rival the most compelling soap opera.

There’s Andrew, the queen’s second son, embroiled in a sex scandal involving underage girls and an accused human trafficker who died in prison—you know, the prince who recently gave an interview on British television trying, and spectacularly failing, to repair his damaged reputation. There’s his older brother, Charles, heir to the throne, reportedly wielding his influence behind the scenes to oust his disgraced sibling from royal duties and consolidate power for himself and his sons. Also in the cast: the Duke of Sussex, aka Harry, who has been bickering with his older brother, William. With his American bride, Meghan, Harry has also publicly railed against the emotional hardship of royal life while traveling by private jet and running up big home renovation bills.

Then there’s the queen herself, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, an aging matriarch whose grasp on the reins of her family appear to be slipping amid questions about how much longer she’ll reign after more than 65 years on the throne.

For the royal family and the British people, the coming of a new