Norton in The Crown, is based on the real-life is 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Norton Knatchbull, who is friends with King Charles III and married to Penny.
The cast and the attention to detail throughout the series are part of why The Crown continues to be such a popular show to this day.
The fifth season of The Crown has introduced some new characters to the cast, including Norton Knatchbull, who is the 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma in real life.
Why do people continue to watch The Crown?
The Crown has been one of Netflix’s most popular historical dramas since its first release on Netflix in 2016.
The show has also been a great way for Netflix to introduce its services to people that are over 50 years old, as they make up about half of the audience of the show.
The continued popularity of The Crown is attributed to many factors, but the amazing cast is one of the main reasons why people continue to watch it to this day.
Although the cast does an amazing job at portraying their characters accurately, the rest of the crew also do their jobs in ensuring that the sets, costumes, and scripts are as accurate as possible, and this really helps viewers to get fully immersed in the show when they watch it.
Who is Norton in The Crown?
The most recent fifth season of The Crown aired on 9 November 2022 and although this season has mainly focused on the downfall of Princess Diana and Prince Charles’s marriage, it has also introduced a whole host of new characters that audiences may or may not be familiar with already.
One of these new characters that was introduced early on in this season is Norton Knatchbull.
Norton, as he is depicted in The Crown, is a real person and has a deep connection to the royal family, as he is the grandson of the late Lord Louis Mountbatten on his mother, the second Countess Mountbatten of Burma’s side.
Norton was also Prince Philip’s godson, and he had a close friendship with then Prince Charles throughout their youth after they attended the same boarding school. Norton married Penelope Eastwood, also known as “Penny,” in season five of The Crown, in 1979.
After Norton and Penny got married, they settled in at his family home in Broadlands, Hampshire, and the pair had three children together.
After Norton’s father passed away in 2005, Norton’s official title changed from Lord Romsey to Lord Brabourne when he inherited the title of Baron Brabourne. After his mother’s death in 2017, Norton became the 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma.
After the tragedy of their youngest daughter, Leonora struck the family, Norton and Penny’s marriage suffered and the press reported several affairs.
However, it seems as though they have recently reconciled and live together once again at Broadlands on his family estate.
Norton Knatchbull and his immediate family
After Norton and Penny married in 1979, they had three children. This includes their son Nicholas Knatchbull, who currently has the title of Lord Brabourne, and their eldest daughter, Lady Alexandra Hooper.
The couple also had a third child, Lady Leonora Knatchbull, who was featured on the fifth season of The Crown. However, Leonora sadly passed away at the age of five after losing her battle with childhood cancer in 1991.
It is believed that the difficulties in their marriage were likely caused by the tragic aftermath of losing a child.
Norton and Charles’s friendship
Besides the familial connection, Norton is also connected to then Prince and current King Charles III personally. Norton and Charles first met when they attended the same boarding school in Scotland at the prestigious Gordonstoun School.
This means that these two were friends in addition to being second cousins when they were young and this friendship continued into their adult lives, as Charles was the best man at Norton’s wedding and the two regarded each other as confidants for many years.
What has happened to Norton since the events depicted on The Crown?
The events that were portrayed on the fifth season of The Crown took place between 1991 and 1997.
Since then, Norton and Penny’s marriage suffered some difficulties, and it was rumoured that he even separated from his wife for a fashion designer who was based in the Bahamas in 2010.
Penny’s relationship with Prince Philip has also been the topic of many tabloid discussions over the years.
However, it seems like Norton and Penny have managed to find common ground once again and at the age of 75, he is living in the United Kingdom at his family estate with his wife Penny.