TVThe fifth season of ‘The Crown’ will be released on Netflix next month. Thepopular series, which depicts the life of the British royal family, has nowreached the 80s and 90s. The most painful period the monarchy has ever known,especially for King Charles. “That they dare to broadcast such a hate campaignjust now is outrageous”, say critics.
It hasn’t aired for a second, and yet the new season of ‘The Crown’ is alreadycontroversial. In season five we get to see how things go wrong between (then)Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Not only their divorce, but also Diana’smuch-discussed interview with the BBC, her depression and eating disorder andher tragic last hours, are drilled down to the bone. That they are just nowcoming up with this – now that ‘Prince Charles’ is trying to find his way as’Charles III’ – viewers and critics alike do not think it is very nice.
Elizabeth Debicki as Diana. © Netflix
“This odious series is deliberately hurtful,” said royalty biographer WilliamShawcross, who was already able to watch several episodes. “They are not closeto the facts yet. They also added a storyline in which Charles constantlytries to have his mother deposed in order to gain power himself. Completefiction! He has never done such a thing, because he knows better than anyonethat the monarchy doesn’t work like that. In addition, Charles had a lot oflove and respect for his mother. He would never – as he does in the series -yell at her that she “should be thrown in jail for being a bad mother.” Theyare just making up stories.”
Dominic West as Charles, Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles © Netflix
The fact that Diana’s last days and even hours are included in the fictionseries is not at all acceptable to him. “That is very disrespectful to herfamily,” it sounds. “Opening up such wounds again, by adding untruthful thingsto them, is really not what the country needs right now. Launching the seriesnow that Charles and Camilla have just become king and queen seems like a hatecampaign.” Because yes, the affair between Charles and Camilla is alsoextensively discussed, while Diana’s lovers (except for Dodi Fayed) have beencompletely removed from the script.
Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip. ©Netflix
There is also plenty of speculation online about the new season, in whichImelda Staunton will take over the role of Queen Elizabeth. Earlier there wascriticism after it became known that ‘The Crown’ would also extensively filman alleged affair of Prince Philip. “This is very inappropriate, so soon afterElizabeth’s death … They just buried her next to Philip,” it sounds onTwitter. In the past, the series already had a direct influence on thepopularity of the royals, especially that of King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Netflix has clearly heard the complaints, and is trying to intervene inadvance. A disclaimer has just been added to the series, stating that theseries is “only about fiction, not about facts”.