Netflix defends The Crown after ex-PM John Major lambasts ‘malicious fiction’

Former British prime minister John Major will be played by English actor Jonny Lee Miller in Season 5 of The Crown. PHOTO: THECROWNNETFLIX/INSTAGRAM

LONDON – Netflix on Monday defended its latest season of The Crown (2016 to present), after former British prime minister John Major lashed out at a storyline showing King Charles plotting to oust the late queen.

Mr Major’s tenure as prime minister from 1990 to 1997 covered a turbulent period for the royals that included the divorce of Charles and his wife Princess Diana.

But reported scenes in the fifth season – defended by streaming giant Netflix as a “fictionalised dramatisation” – have incensed the 79-year-old former premier.

In one scene, heir to the throne Charles attempts to draw Mr Major into a conspiracy to force the abdication of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.

A statement issued by Mr Major’s office castigated Netflix for the scenes, describing them as “damaging and malicious fiction”.

“There was never any discussion between Sir John and the then Prince of Wales about any possible abdication of the late Queen Elizabeth II – nor was such an improbable and improper subject ever raised by the then Prince of Wales (or Sir John),” it added.

The Crown has been wildly successful, but has also faced criticism over its fictional storylines.

In one episode from the second season, the queen’s late husband Prince Philip is blamed by his own father for the death of one of his sisters in an air crash.

His father tells him that his sister had been making the journey to Britain that ended in her death only because Philip’s bad behaviour meant he was banned from visiting her in Germany.

“You are the reason we are all here, burying my favourite child,” his father Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark tells him at her funeral.

‘Terribly dishonest’

Writer William Shawcross, who wrote a biography of the late queen’s mother, on Monday called The Crown “an odious series, filled with lies and half-truths”.

In a letter published in The Daily Telegraph newspaper, he accused Netflix and writer Peter Morgan of a campaign to destroy the monarchy “by lies”.

Shawcross told AFP the royal family were unique in that, unlike other prominent families, they were not in a position to sue.

He said it made them “sitting ducks for someone like Morgan who detests them and has a political agenda”.

He said the storyline about Philip’s sister was factually incorrect and that “Philip was incredibly upset by it”.

“The two people who have been most abused in the series are Prince Philip and... King Charles,” he said, adding that Morgan steered clear of targeting the queen for such treatment because of her popularity.

“It (The Crown) is very clever. It is full of lies, but they are disguised in lace and velvet. There is no real disclaimer, it is terribly dishonest.... disgraceful,” he added.

Health warning needed?

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The Crown rejected the criticism, insisting that the series “has always been presented as a drama based on historical events”.

“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,” a spokesman told the PA news agency on Monday.

Netflix suspended filming of the drama last month “as a mark of respect” following the death of Elizabeth at the age of 96.

The monarch famously vowed on her 21st birthday to serve her country “my whole life”, meaning that her son Charles acceded to the throne only at the age of 73.

The fourth season, which depicted the ill-fated marriage of Charles and Diana, last year swept the Emmys, winning best outstanding drama series as well as a host of acting awards for its stars, including Gillian Anderson, Olivia Colman and Josh O’Connor.

Princess Diana will be played by Elizabeth Debicki in season 5 of The Crown. PHOTO: THECROWNNETFLIX/INSTAGRAM

But the series also prompted Britain’s then Culture Minister Oliver Dowden to say in 2020 he planned to write to Netflix and request that a “health warning” be displayed before The Crown so viewers were aware it was a work of fiction.

The new season, which will launch on Nov 9, features recast roles with Dominic West starring as Charles, while Elizabeth Debicki plays Diana and Imelda Staunton the queen. AFP

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