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What has the royal family said about The Crown?-Sabrina Barr-Entertainment – Metro

There have been mixed reactions from The Firm.

What has the royal family said about The Crown?-Sabrina Barr-Entertainment – Metro

A new batch of actors appear as the royal family in season five (Picture: Keith Bernstein/Netflix)

Does everyone have their popcorn at the ready? The Crown season 5 is on the verge of being released on Netflix, and we can already predict the media storm it’s going to spark.

The new series, which follows the royal family after a time jump, will see Elizabeth Debicki take on the role of Princess Diana, while Imelda Staunton stars as the late Queen Elizabeth II, Dominic West as King Charles III before he ascended the throne and Olivia Williams as Camilla, who is now Queen Consort.

While many members of the royal family have remained tight-lipped over whether they’ve caught any episodes of the programme, some have been open about their admiration – or lack thereof – for the fictionalised depiction of history.

From Prince Harry to Prince William, Mike Tindall and Sarah Ferguson, several royals have spoken out on the show created by Peter Morgan.

Here’s what they had to say.

What has the royal family said about The Crown?

While some members of the royal family have flatly denied watching The Crown, others have openly admitted that the Netflix series has piqued their interest.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

The Crown came up during Prince Harry and Meghan’s chat with Oprah Winfrey (Picture: Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese/Handout via Reuters)

During an interview with The Late Late Show’s James Corden in 2021, Prince Harry revealed he had watched the show, pointing out that the programme doesn’t ‘pretend to be news’, as it’s ‘fictional’ while also being ‘loosely based on the truth’.

He added that he felt ‘way more comfortable with The Crown’ than seeing stories about himself, his family or his wife Meghan Markle in the media.

‘Because it’s the difference between that is obvious fiction, take it how you will, but this is being reported on as fact because you’re supposedly news. I have a real issue with that,’ he stated.

He and Meghan also told Oprah Winfrey during their bombshell 2021 interview that they had seen some episodes.

Prince William

Olivia Colman revealed Prince William’s reaction (Picture: AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)

When Prince William was asked by a star of The Crown whether he’d watched the drama, the heir to the throne had a very blunt response.

Olivia Colman – who played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons three and four – was at a dinner where she met Prince William, who asked her what she was up to at that present moment in time.

However, as recalled by Olivia on The Graham Norton Show in 2019, he then quickly added: ‘Actually, I know what you’re doing,’ hinting that he was aware she was filming The Crown.

‘I was so excited and asked, “Have you watched it?” His answer was a firm, “No,”’ Olivia said, adding that the royal was ‘very charming and very lovely’.

Despite Prince William’s plea that the late Princess Diana’s infamous Panorama interview should not be ‘commercialised’ by the BBC or other media outlets after journalist Martin Bashir was found to have used ‘deceitful behaviour’ to secure the conversation, it is still set to be included in season five of The Crown.

King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla

The early stages of the couple’s relationship is depicted in the series (Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

In 2021, King Charles III appeared to hint that he’d seen the portrayal of himself on The Crown while attending the state opening of Scottish Parliament.

The then-Prince Charles is reported to have said: ‘Hello, nice to meet you all. I’m nowhere near how they portray me on Netflix,’ having been depicted up to that point by Julian Baring in season two and Josh O’Connor in seasons three and four.

Before the third season of The Crown came out, the nephew of Camilla, Queen Consort, told Vanity Fair that his aunt did enjoy the series, but ‘wasn’t looking forward to the bits to come’.

Princess Anne

Princess Anne had some choice words about her portrayal on the drama (Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Two years ago, Princess Anne celebrated her 70th birthday, for which a documentary was released to mark the occasion.

In the film, the royal dubbed The Crown ‘quite interesting’, while also mocking a claim she’d read in an article that it would sometimes take two hours for Erin Doherty’s hair to be styled to play her in the series.

‘Actually I read an article the other day about The Crown, the actress was talking about how long it took them to do their hair like I did,’ the Princess Royal said.

‘And I’m thinking, ‘How could you possibly take that long?’ I mean it takes me 10 or 15 minutes.’

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh

Queen Elizabeth II apparently watched The Crown… while Prince Philip did not (Picture: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

Matt Smith, who starred as Prince Philip in the first two seasons of The Crown, revealed during a recent interview with Today that a friend once sat next to the late Duke of Edinburgh at a dinner, and ‘couldn’t resist’ asking if he’d seen the drama by the time the meal came to an end.

‘He was like, “Philip, I have to ask, have you watched The Crown?”’ Matt shared.

‘And apparently [Philip] turned around to him and said: “Don’t be ridiculous.”’

Nonetheless, the actor added that he’d heard that the late Queen Elizabeth II watched the show, and she apparently ‘used to watch it on a projector on Sunday night’.

Princess Eugenie

The Crown made Princess Eugenie feel ‘proud’ (Picture: Alastair Grant/WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Princess Eugenie, the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II and daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, took a favourable view when sharing what she thought of The Crown.

Speaking in 2017, she said that she ‘did watch a couple of episodes’ of the drama, and remarked that it was ‘filmed beautifully’.

‘The music is wonderful, the story is beautiful,’ she said according to the Daily Mail, adding that it made her feel ‘proud’.

‘I can’t speak for everyone but that’s how I felt when I watched it,’ she said.

Sarah, Duchess of York

Sarah was happy that her wedding was included (Picture: Corbis via Getty Images)

Sarah Ferguson, who was married to Prince Andrew from 1986 to 1996, admitted in a 2021 interview with Town & Country that she wanted to see more of herself on The Crown, quipping: ‘Hello? Where is Fergie?’

Speaking further about the series with US Weekly, the Duchess of York said: ‘I thought it was filmed beautifully. The cinematography was excellent,’ adding: ‘I loved the way they put my wedding in as well.’

Mike Tindall and Zara Tindall

Zara and Mike, who wed in 2011, have three children together (Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

I’m A Celebrity 2022 star Mike, who’s married to King Charles III’s niece Zara, spoke in 2021 about how he needed to ‘catch up’ on The Crown, as he was halfway through season three at the time.

‘I’m quite intrigued to see where they go with it because obviously, it’s an era people are fascinated with,’ he said on a podcast, as reported by People.

‘It’s getting to more things that people know about, isn’t it, and have opinions about – so that’s where it gets difficult.’

He also added a reminder that ‘it’s a drama, so it’s going to be made to be a bit of a drama’.

Zara, meanwhile, jokingly once admitted she’d like to see Jessica Biel play her in the story.

The Crown season 5 premieres on Wednesday November 9 on Netflix.

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