Netflix’s The Crown is one of the most popular shows on the streamer and has gained a worldwide fan following who enjoy getting a deeper and more intimate insight into the British royal family. However, recent controversies surrounding the upcoming fifth season has led to the show’s stable foundation becoming far more wobbly.
Created by Peter Morgan, the Emmy-winning show has staggering revenues and ever-growing popularity as it revolves around the story of the British monarchy following the ascension of Queen Elizabeth.
Covering the various decades in the Queen’s reign, the landscape keeps changing along with the actors. From Claire Foy being replaced as a young Queen by Olivia Colman who played the middle-aged version of Elizabeth. Colman, in turn, has been replaced by Imelda Staunton to play the current version of the Queen.
Emma Corrin was replaced by Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana and Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles being replaced by Dominic West, the show did not shy away from dealing with controversial topics, including the Prince and Princess of Wales’ tumultuous marriage.
The portrayal of Princess Diana is the one that has amassed massive controversy. From airing the controversial Panorama interview– much to the chagrin of her eldest son, Prince William- to showing intimate details of the former royal couple’s life, it seems like The Crown is not willing to leave any stone unturned to expose the life of the former Princess of Wales who met a tragic and untimely end.
The royal family is reportedly fuming over the show’s temerity and at the inability of the younger son, Prince Harry — who lives in Canada with his wife Meghan Markle and has made a massive deal with Netflix — to put an end to this.
Jemimah Khan, one of Princess Diana’s closest compatriots, has recently denied all her credits for co-writing the script with Morgan as she felt that it did not respectfully deal with the Princess or show her the compassion and kindness she deserved.
Despite working closely for nearly a year, she declined a credit when the “co-writing agreement was not honoured” and she realised that the “particular storyline would not necessarily be told as respectfully or compassionately as [I] had hoped”. The friends of the monarchy claim they are reportedly seeking “legal advice”.
The Royals have reportedly “been made aware” of how the friends are seeking legal help that could help sue the streaming platform and the show.
Although the streaming service is yet to comment on this issue, it is quite evident that the royals are not happy with how the controversial and raw events of Diana’s life have been dealt with. According to insider reports, “the Queen’s lawyers have been keeping a close eye on everything”.
According to the insider, the “next series could potentially be very damaging” due to the widespread impact of the series that presents, according to them, the one-sided and biased truth.
“Worryingly, a lot of people, especially Americans, seem to think [The Crown] is effectively a documentary — and much of the drama hasn’t exactly been flattering from a royal perspective. But these are real people and many are still alive,” revealed the insider.
As the conflict between the show and the royals deepens, fan anticipation for the series has increased exponentially as well. The fifth season is scheduled for a November 2022 premiere and will be followed by a season six that is said to be the last.
Check out Best of Netflix’s article on everything that we know about the upcoming season here.