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A Very British Scandal, Prime Video's most recent British period drama, has dropped today on the streaming platform. The three-episode miniseries chronicles the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll and how it progressed from bad to worse, eventually leading to one of the most scandalous and costliest divorces in the history of Britain.
Loaded with incidents of affairs, promiscuity, abuse and neglect, the drama tells the true story of the Argyll vs. Argyll divorce scandal. It highlights the suffering of the Duchess of Argyll both during her marriage to the Duke and during the divorce proceedings in the court which ended on a disturbing note.
All about A Very British Scandal
A Very British Scandal makes no attempt to be subtle and starts off the first scene with a vicious confrontation in court between the Duchess, Lady Margaret who is played by Claire Foy, and the Duke, Lord Ian Campbell portrayed by Paul Bettany. As the series proceeds, the viewers get to see how romance had blossomed between Margaret and Ian. From there, they descend into a ruinous marriage and a painful divorce.
The toxic love affair between the Duke and Duchess started with Margaret divorcing her then-husband to marry Ian, who would become the Duke of Argyll. It was evident from the beginning that the marriage was the means to an end. Magaret, being an heiress to her father's fortune, was a potential source of money for the bankrupt Duke, who used her for loans in order to live a lavish life while neglecting his marriage.
However, Margaret was not to be decieved so easy. Realizing that there was not much to gain from the marriage except for the title, which would go to Ian's heir when he died, Margaret forged a letter to secure her future.
This marks the beginning of the end. Tears and betrayal follow as the marriage crumbles down. Whatever was left of it dissolved in court where Ian fought for a divorce and Margaret for her dignity.
What was the fate of the Duchess of Argyll?
A Very British Scandal reached its climax when Ian discovered that Margaret forged a letter from his second wife which claimed that his two sons weren't legitimate. Along with it, he found Margaret's diary, letters, and, most importantly, a polaroid of her engaging in a s*xual act with a "headless man", all of which was evidence enough to suggest that Margaret was unfaithful.
However, this was not the end of the drama. Margaret was banned from the Argyll property in which she was an investor, and it turned out that the Duke had scammed her father and her when he took money from them.
In a vicious response to Ian's claims, Margaret filed a counterclaim of divorce against her husband, where she accused the Duke of having an affair with her stepmother. She also claimed that the man in the polaroid was her husband, Ian. However, the Duchess' claims were not substantial and it was proved that the Duke was not in the aforementioned picture. For Lady Margaret, things only got worse when society turned against her for being unfaithful to her husband.
Eventually, the court, which was always in favour of the Duke, granted the divorce and released a statement degrading Margaret for her s*xual choices which led the Duke to win the case. Margaret had to pay a hefty sum which left her almost bankrupt.
The series is a scathing portal of the patriarchal society of the 1960s that villainized women for the same things men did. Margaret never stood a chance.
Catch A Very British Scandal now on Amazon Prime Video.
