Friends of Prince Charles accuse The Crown of exploiting the Royal Family’s pain

Season four of The Crown dropped on Netflix yesterday morning and fans of the show are loving every bit of it. However, many Royal insiders have made clear their opinion on the fictitious nature of the series. According to the Daily Mail, close friends of the Prince have accused Netflix of  ‘exploiting the Royal Family’s pain for financial gain’.

Despite rave reviews from fans, those inside the Royal walls have expressed their dislike towards the depiction of the Royal Family in Netflix’s latest season. The latest installment of the series focuses on the relationship between Charles and Diana, as well as the relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher. The depiction of Charles during his marriage to Diana and the continuance of his affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles has sparked anger amongst the palace.

A palace insider said: “The new series paints the Prince and Duchess in a very unflattering light but at least at the start of reality shows like The Only Way Is Essex they admit that some scenes have been invented for entertainment.

“This is trolling with a Hollywood budget. The public shouldn’t be fooled into thinking this is an accurate portrayal of what really happened.”

Many senior Royals are also said to be irritated with the Netflix original. Prince William is apparently, “none too pleased with it. He feels that both his parents are being exploited and being presented in a false, simplistic way to make money.”

Friends of the Royals have insisted there are gross inaccuracies in the new season, that of Diana confronting the Queen and Charles about his affair and the Prince verbally abusing his wife did not happen.

Royal Biographer, Sally Beddell Smith said: “The Crown is a work of fiction and the level of invention has been growing. While the earlier seasons were period pieces, series four is recent history, so it seems more cruel in its false depictions.

“Because The Crown is such a lavish and expensive production, and so much attention has been paid to visual details about historical events, viewers are tricked into believing what they are seeing actually happened. There should be a disclaimer at the start of each programme saying, ‘This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to those living or deal is purely coincidental’ ”

From The Crown

Former Welsh Secretary and Vale of Glamorgan, Alun Cairns, said: “There is no doubt that whilst millions will enjoy watching The Crown, we need to be mindful that the programmes raise painful events that will have an impact on members of the Royal Family and others who were children or innocent bystanders.”

Many Royal insiders have begun to question the decision of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry and their signing of a multi-million pound deal with Netflix earlier this year.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Here’s the real story behind Michael Shea, the Queen’s press secretary in The Crown

• This is what the relationship between the Queen and Margaret Thatcher was really like

• How did Prince Charles and Diana actually meet and how big was their age gap?