There’s sex, scandal and some nudity in Season 2 of ‘The Crown’

On Nov. 20, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip marked their 70th wedding anniversary.

CBS News reported that if the couple know “the secret of what makes a marriage work, they weren’t saying.” But if you really want to know, Season 2 of “The Crown” starts streaming on Netflix on Friday.

According to the well-researched narrative, a big part of the answer is that Elizabeth (Claire Foy) decided to ignore Philip’s (Matt Smith) philandering for the sake of the monarchy. Although three of her four children would divorce in the 1990s, that option wasn’t there for the reigning monarch in the 1950s.

(The 10 episodes open in 1956 and continue through 1964.)

As was the case with Season 1, Season 2 of “The Crown” is not a ripped-from-the-tabloid-headlines story of sex and scandal. An enormous amount of research went into it, although, clearly, the narrative is filled with speculation based on facts.

And Buckingham Palace will be less pleased. Season 1 could be considered invasive (if one is a royal) but wasn’t all that scandalous. In Season 2, there’s sex and scandal — not just Philip’s philandering, which isn’t explicitly portrayed, but Princess Margaret’s (Vanessa Kirby) fiancé/husband, Anthony Armstrong-Jones (Matthew Goode), having sex with one of his photographic models and having a bisexual three-way, which is. Yes, there’s nudity.

Margaret is almost Dianaesque. She’s glamorous; she chafes under expectations; she’s unlucky in love. You feel sorry for her and sort of want to knock some sense into her at the same time.

The first half of the second season of “The Crown” is not as good as Season 1. You feel the loss of Winston Churchill, who appears only briefly in a flashback. And the consistent portrayal of Queen Elizabeth as the victim of others grows tiresome.

Not as tiresome Philip’s libidinous tour around the globe, which shoves huge, historic events like the 1956 Suez crisis into the background.

But then there’s Episode 6, in which David, the Duke of Windsor (Alex Jennings) — the former King Edward VIII, who abdicated in 1936 — wants to return to England and public life. Writer/executive producer Peter Morgan’s script masterfully blends a visit by American evangelist Billy Graham, Elizabeth’s desire to be forgiving and the shocking truth about David’s past with the Nazis. It leaves you feeling contempt and pity for the former (and never-crowned) monarch, which isn’t easy.

Episode 9 flashes back to Philip’s youth. You feel empathy for the boy sent to a harsh Scottish school by a terrible father, but you wonder how Philip could have sent his son Prince Charles to the same school.

Again, Season 2 carries us only to 1964. The plan is for four more seasons — and Season 3 will jump ahead, with Olivia Colman replacing Foy as Queen Elizabeth.

Can’t wait. At its worst, “The Crown” is a fine show. At its best, it’s amazing.