The Royal Family Wants Netflix To Reaffirm That The Crown Is Fictional

Netflix’s The Crown, chronicling the history of the British royal family, continues to be as popular as it is controversial. But now, with the introduction of the late Princess Diana in the newly released fourth season, culture secretary Oliver Dowden has called for the platform to reaffirm that their hit show is more often than not fictitious as opposed to historically accurate.

Of course, the series has often been criticized for its disregard of historical details. But then again, this often tends to be the case in works of fiction, where the writers have to sacrifice veracity to dramatize the plot and make it relevant for the medium in question. Though now that Emma Corrin has joined the cast to portray Diana, Princess of Wales, this scandalous aspect of the show is only bound to get worse.

The Crown‘s handling of Charles and his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, in particular, has managed to spark a lot of concern over the prince’s public image. To that end, culture secretary Oliver Dowden recently said the following in an interview with The Daily Mail:

“It’s a beautifully produced work of fiction. So, as with other TV productions, Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just that,” he said. “Without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact.”

Dowden has proposed that Netflix add a “health warning” to avoid damaging Prince Charles’ legacy. Even a source close to the prince explicitly accused the streaming juggernaut of pushing an “overt republican agenda,” saying:

“It is quite sinister the way that [writer Peter] Morgan is clearly using light entertainment to drive a very overt republican agenda and people just don’t see it. They have been lured in over the first few series until they can’t see how they are being manipulated. It is highly sophisticated propaganda.”

Apparently even Charles Spencer, Princess Diana’s brother, isn’t too keen on how Netflix is handling the show. The production team had asked the viscount to film parts of season 4 at the Spencer family’s ancestral home in Northamptonshire, but he refused. He has also recently said that Americans tend to think The Crown is based on fact, and he’ll no longer support the show now that Diana is a main character.

What do you think about this matter, though? Should Netflix be more forthcoming about the original’s historical accuracy? As usual, let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.