Entertainment
Netflix faces backlash for casting IRA supporter’s stepdaughter in new series of The Crown
Netflix faces backlash from royalists as they cast the stepdaughter of IRA supporter (Picture: Netflix/Getty)
Natascha McElhone, stepdaughter of IRA-supporting Roy Greenslade, has been cast in the new series of The Crown, much to the dismay of royal experts.
McElhone, 51, will play Countess Mountbatten in series five of the popular Netflix drama, which will be released next year.
Greenslade is a former Fleet Street editor who revealed his support for the IRA earlier this year.
He also secretly wrote for An Phoblacht – a Republican newsletter – and provided bail surety for John Downey, a convicted IRA member who was accused of involvement in the 1982 Hyde Park bombing.
Lord Mountbatten was killed by an IRA bomb in 1979 when the IRA planted a bomb on his boat in County Sligo.
Also on board were his 14-year-old grandson Nicholas Knatchbull, grandmother Baroness Brabourne, and crew member Paul Maxwell, 15.
McElhone will play Countess Mountbatten (Picture: Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock)
Mountbatten, Knatchbull and Maxwell died immediately, with Brabourne dying in hospital the next day.
McElhone will play Penelope Knatchbull, who married Mountbatten’s grandson.
Netflix have been criticised for their casting choice, with royal experts saying it shows ‘a lack of respect.’
Penny Junor told The Daily Telegraph: ‘I think it shows a lack of respect. Of course, you cannot visit the sins of the father on the daughter but there are lots of actresses out there. It just feels slightly two fingers.’
Junor further explained how the new series of The Crown is sure to ‘raise eyebrows in so many ways,’ as upcoming episodes centre around the divorce of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
The streaming platform has also come under fire for their portrayal of Princess Diana in the lead up to her death (Picture: SplashNews.com)
The Countess will not be McElhone’s first acting role, as she previously appeared in The Truman Show, Designated Survivor and Californication.
The backlash against the casting however is just one of the reasons Netflix finds itself in hot water regarding the series at the moment.
Royal experts have also urged Prince Harry to leave his deal with Netflix after writer Jemima Khan stepped down from The Crown over its depiction of her friend Princess Diana – played by Elizabeth Debicki.
Royal biographer Angela Levin has urged the Duke of Sussex to reconsider his deal – which is supposedly worth £100m – and ‘find his voice’ to condemn the streaming giant’s portrayal of his late mother.
More: Netflix
Producer Khan says the latest series does not handle Diana’s death ‘respectfully or compassionately’ like she hoped it would.
Netflix declined to comment on their casting of McElhone.
The Crown returns in November 2022.
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