Just how accurate is the royal Netflix drama The Crown? It’s a question that has plagued viewers of the compelling series ever since its inception in 2016, and whilst many of the events in the show can be backed up with historical evidence, the former British prime minister Sir John Major has recently described it as a “barrel load of nonsense”.
The somewhat surprising remark came after news that the new storyline of the show could damage the reputation of the new king, Charles III. Reports have suggested that the new series of the show could depict Charles attempting to oust the late Elizabeth II from her throne, having a discussion in the programme with Major as to how this could take place.
Refuting the claims of Major, Netflix stated that the show “has always been presented as a drama based on historical events,” with a spokesperson adding, “Series five is a fictional dramatisation, imagining what could have happened behind closed doors during a significant decade for the royal family – one that has already been scrutinised and well-documented by journalists, biographers and historians”.
This statement hasn’t stopped more commentators from coming out against the show, however, with the presenter Jonathan Dimbleby saying that The Crown “is full of nonsense, but this is nonsense on stilts,” meanwhile, the royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith added that the show was “doing significant damage to people’s perception of history and their perception of the royal family”.
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, she added, “It has been packed full of malicious lies from the beginning but this level of abuse is now beyond the pale”.
The latest series of The Crown will be released on Netflix on November 9th.