Overview of ‘Under the Queen’s Umbrella’

‘Under the Queen’s Umbrella’ is a South Korean television series that premiered in 2022, starring Kim Hye-soo, Kim Hae-sook, and Choi Won-young.

With the passing of Crown Prince Bae In-hyuk, Queen Hwa-ryeong begins training her mischievous sons to become princes deserving of ascending to the throne. The Queen Dowager (King Yi Ho’s mother), expressing disdain for the Queen’s sons, meddles in the choice of the cohort and the Crown Prince. King Yi Ho makes every effort to ensure fairness in the competition, though. Prince Seong-nam, hailed as the new Crown Prince demonstrates maturity and aids his mother Queen Hwa-ryeong in revealing the truth regarding the demise of the previous Crown Prince.

‘Under The Queens Umbrella’ broadcasts on tvN on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:10 (KST) from 15 October through 4 December 2022. It’s also accessible to watch on Netflix in selected regions.

Profile

• Drama: ‘Under The Queen’s Umbrella’
• Director: Kim Hyung-sik
• Writer: Park Ba-ra
• Network: tvN
• Episodes: 16
• Release Date: October 15 – December 4, 2022
• Language: Korean
• Country: South Korea

Cast

Main

• Kim Hye-soo as Queen Im Hwa-ryeong
  A personality that embodies boldness and progressiveness a Queen should have. She serves to protect and fight for women’s rights and is also an accepting mother towards her sons true abilities and identities.

• Kim Hae-sook as Queen Dowager
  Mother of the present King of the Joseon dynasty, and she harbours a deep animosity for the Queen, as evidenced by her continual attempts to undermine her daughter-in-law. A regular consort of the former King, the Queen Dowager eventually attained her position through an extraordinary turn of events. She is always plotting and scheming to ensure that the Queen’s children do not inherit the throne while looking for ways to get her deposed and expelled from the palace.

• Choi Won-young as King Yi Ho
  King of the Joseon dynasty.

Supporting

Queen’s sons

• Moon Sang-min as Grand Prince Seongnam / Yi Kang (personal name)
• Bae In-hyuk as Crown Prince
• Yoon Sang-hyeon as Grand Prince Muan
• Yoo Seon-ho as Grand Prince Gyeseong / Yi Hwan (personal name)
• Park Ha-jun as Grand Prince Ilyeong

Concubines

• Ok Ja-yeon as Royal Consort Gwi-in Hwang, later demoted to Royal Consort Sug-won
• Kim Ga-eun as Royal Consort So-yong Tae
• Woo Jung-won as Royal Consort Gwi-in Go

Concubines’ sons

• Kang Chan-hee as Prince Uiseong
• Kim Min-gi as Prince Bogum
• Moon Seong-hyun as Prince Simso

People in the palace

• Kim Eui-sung as Chief State Councillor Hwang Won-hyeong
• Jang Hyun-sung as Minister of Military Affairs Yoon Soo-kwang

Others

• Oh Ye-ju as Yoon Cheong-ha
• Jeon Hye-won as Cho-wol
• Seo Yi-sook as Deposed Queen Yoon

Extended

• Shin Soo-jeong as Royal Consort So-ui Kim
• Song Young-ah as Royal Consort Sug-ui Choi
• Lee Ha-young as Royal Consort So-won Moon
• Lee Hwa-kyum as Royal Consort Sug-won Ok
• Lee So-hee as Special Court Lady Park
• Shin Ian as Prince Yeongmin
• Hong Jae-min as Prince Hodong
• Kim Young-jae as Chief Royal Secretary Min Seung-yun
• Lee Jung-eun as Court Lady Nam
• Yoo Yeon as Court Lady Oh
• Park Jun-myeon as Court Lady Shin
• Kim Jae-bum as Physician Kwon / Yi Ik-hyeon (real name)
• Cha Sung-je as young Yi Ik-hyeon
• Kwon Hae-hyo as Master Toji / Yoo Sang-uk (real name)
• Kim Seung-soo as Park Gyeong-woo
• Han Dong-hee as Crown Princess Min
• Seo Woo-jin as Grand Heir
• Tae Won-seok as Seo Ham-deok
• Yoon Seul as Mak-ryeo
• Jo Ah-young as Min Seung-yun’s eldest daughter
• Kim Jung-ho as Royal Physician Cho Guk-yeong
• Ha Dong-joon as Personnel Officer Lee Jo-jeon-rang

Special appearances

• Jung Ji-hoon as a passerby
• Ahn Yong-joon as the representative of Sungkyunkwan scholars
• Park Hyo-joo as a nursemaid
• Jung Soon-won

Synopsis

Queen Im Hwa-ryeong urges her sons to join the race to become the cohort of the Crown Prince. They are required to fare in educational aspects and take special training to mould themselves fit for the Crown Prince title. Unlike the Crown Prince, Bae In-hyuk who enjoys his studies, Im Hwa-ryeong’s other sons arrive late to class, stocking the Dowager’s disapproval.

Queen Dowager, finds the thought of Queen Hwa-ryeong’s sons acquiring the title of Crown Prince repugnant. She is in favour of King Yi Ho’s consorts obtaining power and their sons emerging to the position of Crown Prince. She shows her support for them by privately sharing guides with the mothers of the princes competing in the race.

In any case, multiple levels of examinations are being held. Meanwhile, Crown Prince In-hyuk becomes ill and is diagnosed with Hyeolheogwol, the same disease that killed Crown Prince Tae-in 20 years before. Keeping it a secret, the Queen requests permission from the King to bring in the same physician who treated the Prince Tae-in years ago in case he remembers the cure.

Due to the severity of his condition, the Prince In-hyuk is permitted to abstain from all grooming and examination processes. As his brother’s illness worsens by the day, Grand Prince Seongnam risks his life to visit a doctor who may be able to heal his brother, and Seongnam is sent to the palace with some medicinal herbs. Despite her reservations about using unknown herbs as treatment for the Crown Prince’s ailment, the Queen eventually administers it to him. When word of the Crown Prince’s illness spreads around the palace, members of the royal council put pressure on the monarch to name a new heir. The Chief State Councillor, Hwang Won-hyeong, spearheads an official investigation into the unsettling rumours.

As a penalty for failing to inform the King of the events and for failing to get his permission before giving the Crown Prince his medications, the Queen is currently prohibited from involvement in any things pertaining to the monarchy and confined to a chamber. Despite appearing to have recovered his health with the administration of unique medicines, the Crown Prince collapses once more and unfortunately passes away.

In an effort to absolve himself of guilt, Grand Prince Seongnam tries to accept responsibility for the tragedy. However, there is a fervent conviction that the Crown Prince’s passing was not brought on by medications. There’s a good likelihood that the whole thing was the subject of a plan. The royal physician is advised by Queen Hwa-ryeong to locate the autopsy report of Crown Prince Taein’s demise. She is shocked to see that there are no longer any medical records on Crown Prince Taein, save for a brief passage mentioning that hyeolheogwol was the cause of his passing.

Following the tragic death of her eldest son, the Crown Prince, she tries her hardest to maintain her position as Queen Hwa-ryeong in order to safeguard the remaining grand princes who are in risk of being slain once a different prince becomes the new Crown Prince. She raises her mischievous sons to be princes worthy of the kingdom. The Queen Dowager, who dislikes the Queen Hwa-ryeong’s sons, meddles in the cohort selection process in each step.

The tournament proceeds, and the official investigations into the Crown Prince’s death are paused for the time being. The princes who are participating in Taekhyeon are at an important stage in the cohort selection process. The consorts are willing to lie, deceive, and use any plot to get their sons the Crown Prince title, which would improve their own prestige in the palace.

Queen Dowager continues to try every trick in the book in order to fail Queen Hwa-reyeong’s sons in the cohort selection process.Initially supporting Price Uiseong, son of Consort Hwang, Queen Dowager now supports Bogeom, son of Consort Tae. Her old allies are concerned. In addition, Queen Dowager encourages a prince to withdraw from the contest.

Meanwhile, a lot of misbehaviour occurs from the other princes during the race, such as transmitting messages, smuggling in chamber pots, and so on. Unsatisfied with the meddling, Queen Hwa-ryeong puts an end to it by providing the young scholars a chance to confess. As a result of Queen Hwa-ryeong’s actions, all of the scholars resolve to do things correctly in order to avoid tainting the competition.

Starting with several princes, the Taekhyeon is now down to three competitors: Uiseong, Bogeom, and Seongnam. They’re all up for a final assessment. As the final evaluations conclude, Prince Seongman emerges as the winner of the selection process. As the new Crown Prince undertakes his royal duties, Queen Hwa-ryeong and the Queen Dowager focus on selecting a new Crown Princess. Chaeng-ho, who is genuinely fond of Seongman, is chosen as the winner of the Crown Princess ceremony.

All the while, Queen Hwa-ryeong was determined to discover the true cause of Crown Prince Taein’s death. Queen Hwa-ryeong’s investigation leads to the discovery of a missing page in a medical record that includes vital information about Crown Prince Taein’s death. Queen Hwa-ryeong investigates two identical murders and takes efforts to put the prince rumours to rest. It turns out that neither of the Crown Princes died prematurely as a result of disease, but rather as a result of a plot to kill them.

20 years ago, Queen Dowager’s ruthless personality got her there when she ordered the death of the Crown Prince Taein so that her son could be named the new heir. King Yi Ho is horrified at the revelation and is torn between exposing a long-held secret and undoing his life’s effort, which would call into question his credibility and enthronement. Queen Hwa-ryeong lovingly provides the King with words of wisdom during this trying period. King Yi Ho makes the audacious decision to reveal the truth about Crown Prince Taein’s death and sentence Queen Dowager to punishment, despite the fact that she is both the Queen and his mother.

Theme

Despite being set in the past, ‘Under The Queen’s Umbrella’ ensures a timely perspective on current societal challenges. The historical drama showcases admirable progressive individuals and portrays a laudable theme of ‘progressive thinking’. The Queen herself is the best illustration.

Accepting reality as it is and respecting differences is one of progressive thinking’s most appealing qualities. We can see that there are sacrifices being made to accommodate the sensitivities of an individual, even though ‘Under The Queen’s Umbrella’ tells the tale of a historical period that was undoubtedly governed by established laws, regulations, and expectations.

Queen Hwa-ryeong’s acceptance of her son Gye-seong’s genuine identity is a shining example. The Queen is surprised that he dresses like a lady in private, but she does not ask him to change his ways. The Queen even hands him a gorgeous painting with his true identity painted in it. She assures her son that she is not angry with him and even gives him his mother’s hairpin as a symbol of courage and support.

Despite his son’s reservations, she believes in him and encourages him to continue his studies. At the end of the drama, Gyeo-seong is allowed liberty to leave the palace and roam freely as his sensitivities desire. Usually, allowing for variations is critical in a royal family because the members are expected to be ideal and role models for the entire realm.

Queen Hwa-ryeong is also not adamant about pressuring her sons to accomplish their best simply because they came from a royal family.She is aware of some of their weaknesses. She urged her sons to put more effort into the cohort selection process only at the expense of safeguarding the kingdom from dishonourable and cunning hands. She’s just a mother who refuses to pressure her aimless causes. Characters in ‘Under The Queen’s Umbrella’ take on significant adult and parent roles in a kingdom that accepts that change is inevitable.

Awards

• Baeksang Arts Awards 2023
  Best New Actor-Television (Moon Sang-min)

Interesting Facts about ‘Under The Queen’s Umbrella’

1. ‘Under The Queen’s Umbrella’ is shot at Dae Jang Geum Park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, which is the largest historical drama set in Korea.
2. ‘Under The Queen’s Umbrella’ was a commercial hit and became one of the highest-rated dramas in Korean cable television history.
3. In an interview, Moon Sang Min (Grand Prince Seongnam) stated he was incredibly grateful to have worked with Kim Hye-soo (Queen Im Hwa-ryeong), who the actor revealed had helped him become a better actor.

FAQs

1. Who is the director of the K-Drama ‘Under The Queen’s Umbrella’?
   Kim Hyung-sik is the director of this K-Drama.
2. Who is the writer of the K-Drama ‘Under The Queen’s Umbrella’?
   Park Ba-ra is the writer of this K-Drama.
3. How many episodes are in the K-Drama ‘Under The Queen’s Umbrella’?
   16 episodes.
4. What is the genre of the K-Drama ‘Under The Queen’s Umbrella’?
   Historical drama / Dark comedy.
5. What is the Instagram ID of Moon Sang-min?
   
   @_sangmxn_ is Moon Sang-min’s Instagram ID.