“Under The Queen’s Umbrella” reached its climax when it was revealed that the physician Kwon was the deposed prince, Yi Ik Hyeon. The queen trusted Kwon in the past, but he killed her son, and now she finds that he was the prince and had killed the crown prince for revenge and has also learned that he has planned a rebellion against the king.
Spoilers Ahead
Who Kills Deposed Prince Ik Hyeon?
The queen catches physician Kwon red-handed while searching for prince Taein’s autopsy report. The queen tells Kwon that she knows his real identity and asks why he killed her son. Kwon has a simple reason: it is because of revenge. His brother was poisoned to death because of the king; hence, the king’s son deserved to die. Kwon apologizes to the queen for taking the life of the innocent crown prince, but his mother suffered the loss of four of her children, and he couldn’t bear to see the queen being happy with her children. The queen’s guards are ready to arrest Kwon, but he manages to run away from them as he knows every nook and cranny of the palace. The guards have been searching for him everywhere and even raided the hideout of the rebels. The queen informs the king that she was always suspicious that Kwon poisoned their son, but now she is sure because Kwon is the deposed prince. The queen requests the king to reveal the truth behind prince Taein’s death if he wants justice for his child.
Kwon has taken shelter at prince Uiseong’s home, and he threatens to reveal that Uiseong to was also a part of the rebellion if he reports him. Kwon assures Uiseong that he still has a chance to become the crown prince. The only thing he has to do is get Kwon inside the palace. Prince Uiseong has no choice but to join him and promises to grant Kwon a wish if he becomes the crown prince. Kwon’s wish is to live with his mother and his son at their original house.
The queen has not told the king that she has prince Taein’s autopsy report because then the king will kill Kwon right away without letting the queen prove that Kwon killed her son. The king visits Master Toji, who has been arrested for rebellion, and asks him about Kwon’s whereabouts, but Toji only has to say that the king’s kingdom is not prosperous because the king is undeserving of the throne. The king gives the order to find and kill Kwon only after getting the autopsy report from him. The only person who can beat the king in the palace is the Queen Dowager, and if the queen has to use her to get what she wants, she will do it. The queen tells the Queen Dowager that Kwon has killed physician Cho, and she could be his next target because he is the deposed prince Ik Hyeon. She also tells her that she has Prince Taein’s autopsy report and threatens to reveal it. However, the Queen Dowager can get the autopsy result if she brings Kwon alive to the queen. This is the first time the Queen Dowager has actually been threatened by the queen.
The crown princess has collapsed, but the royal physician finds it difficult to diagnose her illness because of her slow pulse rate. However, after much effort, he concludes that the crown princess is pregnant. The palace is rejoicing as it is soon going to get a new grand heir after the previous crown prince’s family left the palace. The consorts choose to visit the crown princess instead of consort Hwang, who invited them for tea, showing the fading influence of Hwang over the other consorts. The consorts are excited, especially Ko and Tae, who have become close to the queen. The queen has told the crown prince to pay more attention to the crown princess than to other trivial matters, including physician Kwon. The crown prince reads a poem to the princess and puts her to sleep. He finds the diary of the princess and reads the things she wants to experience with the prince. The prince promises her in her sleep that he will make all of her wishes come true. The next day, the court ladies see the crown princess running around the palace and spread rumors that she is not really pregnant.
The Queen Dowager visits the queen and also asks the crown prince and princess to meet them. She summons the royal physician, who tells them that he was mistaken about the pregnancy because of the princess’ heart disease. The Queen Dowager brings up that the crown princess can never conceive a child because of the disease and calls her father, minister Yoon. She proposes deposing the crown princess, but the queen is in favor of the princess. The crown prince assures the princess that it is okay if she can never conceive. The Queen Dowager wants to bring down the crown prince in any way, which is why she threatens the royal physician to force him to lie. She has ordered him to give the medicines for abortion to the crown princess secretly and to make sure that she will never conceive again. The queen knows that the Queen Dowager is after the crown princess because of the autopsy report. She gives the report to her when the Queen Dowager brings up the topic of the deposition of the crown princess before the king.
The queen’s remaining hope is in the gajasachon that Park Gyeongu has, but he informs her that he has given it to the king to destroy it as it may cause the kingdom to be shaken to its foundation. Nothing is going the way the queen wants, and Kwon is nowhere to be found either. She finds his mother, who had fled, but she doesn’t have any idea about her son’s whereabouts either. On the other hand, the Queen Dowager asks the chief councilor to bring Kwon to the palace from prince Uiseong’s home. She doesn’t tell the chief that Kwon is the deposed prince. The chief councilor brings Kwon to the palace by promising to help him, but the guards surround them. However, Kwon runs away by holding a knife to the chief’s neck. He takes the chief away and kills him by stabbing him in the stomach. His next target is the Queen Dowager, but she was already aware this could happen and fled her quarters. Consort Hwang rushes to see Kwon and hears him saying that he only used Hwang to raise his heir in the palace. Hwang is heartbroken, but her son, prince Uiseong, arrives and kills Kwon with a sword to save himself from the charges of treason. Before taking his last breath, Kwon tells Uiseong that he is his real father.
Does The King Reveal The Truth Behind Prince Taein’s Death?
The court officials appealed to the king to execute all the rebels, including the deposed queen and prince Uiseong. The king doesn’t want to taint his throne with blood again, is against the idea, and even defies the Queen Dowager. The Queen Dowager tells him that her biggest mistake was letting Ik Hyeon live, and she thinks that the king should not repeat her mistake by letting the rebels live. That’s when she reveals that Uiseong is Ik Hyeon’s son and not his. The Queen Dowager does not worry about the king, but she is concerned about the queen. She knows how determined the queen is, and she wouldn’t let go of Prince Taein’s case just yet. That’s why the Queen Dowager has to add more obstacles to her path. The royal physician tells the Queen Dowager that the crown princess’ fetus has miscarried, and she will never conceive again. Moreover, the Queen Dowager’s court lady discovers that prince Muan has been raising a baby secretly in the palace. The Queen Dowager reports it to the king and asks him to get rid of the illegitimate baby from the lowly birth. However, Prince Muan is firm about taking responsibility for the mother and the baby and is even ready to marry Cho Wol. The Queen Dowager tells him that a prince cannot marry someone of low birth, but the queen announces that prince Muan can be the first one to break the tradition, and the king supports her.
Moreover, the queen exposes the Queen Dowager in front of her by making the royal physician confess what the Queen Dowager asked him to do. The physician couldn’t bring himself to give the wrong medicines to the princess, and hence her baby is still safe. The crown prince tries to convince the king to reveal Prince Taein’s truth, but the king is not sure about it yet. However, no one knows the king better than the queen. The queen knows how anxious the king has been since he ascended the throne because he always wanted to prove his worth. She assures him that no one will question the validity of his throne because he has always been a wise king. It is time for him to let go of that burden and let the truth out in the world. The king thinks it over and tells the Queen Dowager that he has decided to reveal the real reason behind prince Taein’s death. The king announces to his court officials that there will be a reinvestigation of prince Taein’s death, and that the history will be rewritten by Historian Park’s son, Park Gyeongu. The court officials oppose the idea as it can cause commotion in the kingdom, but the king is certain about his decision. After confirming that prince Taein was poisoned to death, the king announces that he will reinstate the deposed queen Yoon, while the Queen Dowager will be confined, and no one will be allowed to meet her. This practically means that the Queen Dowager is getting deposed. However, the Queen Dowager cannot live like that and takes her own life while wearing her coronation outfit.
‘Under The Queen’s Umbrella’ Ending Explained
The palace is at peace now as the crown prince gets to walk around the palace with his princess and complete all of her wishes. The previous crown princess has returned to the palace with her children, and prince Muan lives outside the palace with his family. However, he visits the palace so often that it looks like he still lives there. Prince Gye Seong makes the decision to leave the palace to embrace his identity as a woman, and though the queen doesn’t want to let go of her son, she still supports him because nothing else matters more than his happiness. All of the queen’s sons have settled down, but her youngest son, grand prince Ilyeong, still needs to grow up.
“Under The Queen’s Umbrella” had everything that a historical drama has—politics, conspiracy, traditions, treason, and more—but what set the series apart is the vision of both the king and queen. The queen was open-minded, non-judgmental, and progressive. Just like her, her sons broke many oppressive traditions. The king was always busy with the politics of his kingdom but would give time to his family and was accepting and supportive of whatever his children decided to do.
