Billy Graham's friendship with Queen Elizabeth II explored in 'The Crown'

"The Crown" promotional poster. Facebook/The Crown

The life of Queen Elizabeth II has been explored in the gripping series "The Crown," and in it, the monarch has interacted with quite a number of personalities - ranging from the Kennedys to former King Edward VIII.

In the sixth episode of season 2 entitled, "Vergangenheit," the Queen met a religious personality that has changed the course of her life - evangelist Billy Graham. The episode showed the Queen watching Graham's sermon on television with the Queen Mother, according to PEOPLE. She was so enthralled by Graham's words - and Graham himself - that she later told Prince Philip, "I think he's rather handsome."

The Queen then invited Graham to give a sermon in Windsor Chapel. During lunch, the two discussed the Queen's desire to be a "simple Christian" and her issues with forgiveness. The Queen and Graham formed a meaningful friendship after that conversation, and every time Graham visited the U.K., he would always be invited by the Queen to preach. Likewise, Graham would often visit the Queen when she travelled to the U.S.

Graham even wrote about their friendship in his autobiography, "Just As I Am." He said that no one in Britain has been more cordial to his family than the Queen. "Almost every occasion I have been with her has been in a warm, informal setting, such as a luncheon or dinner, either alone or with a few family members or other close friends," he shared.

"I always found her very interested in the Bible and its message," he further wrote. "After preaching at Windsor one Sunday, I was sitting next to the Queen at lunch. I told her I had been undecided until the last minute about my choice of sermon and had almost preached on the healing of the crippled man in John 5. Her eyes sparkled and she bubbled over with enthusiasm, as she could do on occasion. 'I wish you had!' she exclaimed. 'That is my favorite story.'"

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