Buckingham Palace Insists 'The Crown' Is "A Drama Not A Documentary" Ahead Of Season 5 Premiere
The first four seasons of "The Crown" were hugely popular on Netflix, and the recent death of Queen Elizabeth II has reignited people's interest in the upcoming season of the award-winning show. The royal family issued an official statement reminding everyone that the depiction of the monarchy is fiction, not fact.
Before King Charles assumed the throne, he was known around the world as an eligible bachelor who married Lady Diana Spencer, later known to the world as the people's princess. Their relationship was a tumultuous one that included much scandal, drama, and infidelity, and it's a focal point of the upcoming season of The Crown.
Buckingham Palace Insists The Crown Is "a Drama Not a Documentary" Ahead of Season 5 Premiere
In a newly released teaser for season five of The Crown, then-Prince Charles and his wife Diana are getting divorced. "This is becoming all-out war" is a line heard in the trailer, indicating that things are about to get messy between the two in this upcoming season.
Charles is played by Dominic West and Diana is played by Elizabeth Debicki, and the end of their love story will be displayed in the 10-episode season that airs November 9 on Netflix. The teaser promises drama and heartbreak starting in the 1990s, and we're pretty sure we'll see a reenactment of the Prince of Wales' interview with Jonathan Dimbleby in which he admits to committing adultery with his now-wife Camilla Parker Bowles.
However, since the Prince of Wales has become King in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II's death, the royal family wants to make it clear that this dramatization of his relationship with Diana is just that—a dramatization.
King Charles has never seen the show, but Camilla, now known as the Queen Consort, is familiar with The Crown and even invited Emerald Fennell, the woman who plays her on screen, to Clarence House for an International Women's Day reception.
A senior royal source close to the family criticizes Netflix for having "no qualms about mangling people's reputations," including the late Queen's. “What people forget is that there are real human beings and real lives at the heart of this," the source added. They stressed that this show is "a drama not a documentary" and that it's "exploitative" for Netflix to portray the royal family in such a way.
Regardless of Buckingham Palace's take on The Crown, the monarch's popularity has only increased since Charles became King, which means there are plenty of viewers who are waiting impatiently for the season premiere on November 9.