Queen Elizabeth’s Friends Think ‘The Crown’ Got This Major Aspect Wrong

While Netflix’s The Crown has captivated audiences with its dramatic portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign, royal biographer Robert Hardman and several of the Queen’s close friends aren’t completely sold on the retelling of the Queen’s life for one major reason.

“A lot of her friends and close staff felt that [The Crown] showed her being miserable all the time. And that’s just not how it is.” Hardman told PEOPLE. Hardman, who recently published his latest book about the royal family Queen of Our Times: The Life of Queen Elizabeth II, opened up about some of his other findings from interviewing the Queen’s friends and close employees, noting that has held onto her crown for so long because she simply just likes being the Queen.

 “It’s not just about longevity or clinging on,” the author said. “Yes, she’s by far the longest-lived monarch in our history. She remains very much center stage, with an appetite and enthusiasm for the job. She really enjoys what she does.”

She may have had a rough few months considering her recent bout with COVID-19, the ongoing drama between Prince Harry and the rest of the Royal Family, as well as a disgraced Prince Andrew; but, even in her old age as she approaches 96 years old in April, Hardman expects she’ll remain in her position of power for the foreseeable future. “She is very good at taking doctor’s orders,” he says. Despite all this, Hardman says “those who know her well talk about her sense of humor and how she’s a very upbeat and positive person.”

She “does personify the cliché ‘Keep calm and carry on,’” he continued. “Even in the dark days, she is an optimist and soldiers on.” Another common misconception about the Queen’s purpose is that she’s only a symbolic figure who “just signs things and goes where she’s told to and smiles.” Hardman clarifies, “when you get behind the scenes of so many of these events, she does keep politicians on their toes.”

The author describes the Queen as someone who remains in the present moment –– a stark contrast from other queens who came before her. “It is another key difference between Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria,” Hardman writes. “The latter loved to wallow in nostalgia, to surround herself with favorites and, in later life, to preserve the past in aspic. The present Queen prefers to move on. Whereas many of her family, including Prince Charles, are romantics at heart, the Queen is a realist.”

“She lives in the present, reminiscing occasionally, when appropriate, but not as a habit,” one former employee said of her. Another adds, “She’s determined to live in the present because she is animated by the electricity of the present.”