The British Royals have never been particularly thrilled with The Crown. Well, that’s not entirely accurate. Prince Harry actually seemed good with the show and referred to Matt Smith (who initially portrayed the Duke of Edinburgh) as his “granddad.” Those who are still firmly entrenched in The Firm, however, don’t seem to like the show pulling back the curtain, especially when it comes to the Diana years. Last season finally sh*t all over the fairy tale when it came to Prince Charles allegedly growing salty at the public adoration of Diana, and as history tells us, divorce comes this season (which arrives in November), and Diana’s tragic death won’t be too far behind (in Season 6).
Fast forward to recent months, and the Queen Elizabeth II’s death prompted The Crown to pause Season 6 production (for obvious reasons), and then Prince William reportedly raised a fuss over a Season 5 episode that portrays the BBC interview of Diana that led to the airing of Charles and Camilla’s ongoing affair. And now, Deadline reports that Netflix is “rattled” after former Prime Minister John Major lashed out over the season’s premiere episode, which alleges that Charles was openly gripe-filled about his mother still hanging around on the throne in the 1990s. Reportedly, Charles “summoned Major to moan” about his plight, and Major is pushing back. Via Deadline:
Charles then has a clandestine meeting with Major where the royal relates the story of how Edward VII was “kept waiting in the wings” for decades due to the longevity of Queen Victoria’s rule.
Major has insisted that no such conversation about a plot to overthrow the late Queen took place and described it as “malicious nonsense.” Other establishment figures spent the weekend savaging a show that they’ve yet to see, often relying on inaccurate reports of what the Season 5 episodes are said to contain.
Tensions are said to be particularly high on the Netflix end, given that The Crown will shoot Diana’s death in the coming weeks. All things considered, now Deadline reports that Netflix decided that it would be better to push Harry and Meghan Markle’s followup documentary (which was almost guaranteed to ruffle royal feathers and was reportedly due to arrive with followup timing in December) until 2023. Interestingly enough, Deadline adds word from a Netflix spokesperson that “there’s never been any documentary from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed.”
So, will this documentary even see the light of day? No one’s talking, but Netflix’s The Crown returns with Season 5 on November 9.
(Via Deadline)