Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Netflix’s hit drama series, The Crown, has found itself placed under even more scrutiny than ever. The show, which has been retelling the history of the Royal Family, has already weathered intense criticism from Buckingham Palace during its Season 4 run on Netflix. That season focused on King Charles III’s courtship of Princess Diana, and it ruffled enough feathers that the Royal Family unsuccessfully demanded a disclaimer be placed before each episode.
The upcoming Season 5 of The Crown will focus on Charles and Diana’s well-documented divorce that played out in the tabloids. (Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki will play Charles and Di, respectively.) However, that season isn’t even streaming yet, but again, the Royal Family is already freaking out. Via Deadline:
Prince William is already reported to have expressed consternation because an episode of the fifth season of The Crown, which streams on Netflix from November 9, shows how BBC interviewer Martin Bashir engaged in subterfuge to gain the now infamous Panorama interview with Diana which damned Charles and his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, now Queen Consort.
With the Royal Family watching their every move, Deadline reports that there’s high anxiety on the Season 6 production as it prepares to film Diana’s final days in the next two weeks. The producers and creative team are reportedly “on edge” as the controversial scenes will examine the moments leading up to Diana’s death. However, The Crown creator Peter Morgan has emphasized that the series will not recreate the infamous Paris car crash.
Will that creative decision stop the Royal Family from blasting the show? Probably not. The main concern from Buckingham Palace is how The Crown portrays King Charles, who is obviously not going to look great during the final years of Diana’s life.
The Crown Season 5 premieres November 9 on Netflix.
(Via Deadline)