Why has The Crown become so controversial?

The wait for The Crown season five is over.

Premiering in London tonight, the latest series of Netflix’s royal drama will be available to stream from tomorrow.

The new season covers the 1990s, arguably the most controversial decade in the Royal Family’s history.

It features the break-up of three marriages, Princess Diana, Sarah Ferguson and the now-King Charles all having affairs, as well as a fire at Windsor Castle.

But royal supporters claim many storylines have been exaggerated, fictionalised and are unfair on a family still mourning the Queen.

Here Sky News looks at the many controversies around the latest release.

King Charles portrayal

The Crown‘s writers had no way of knowing when they started filming the latest season that by the time of its release the Queen would no longer be with us.

Season four saw the introduction of Diana and her doomed relationship with the then-Prince of Wales.

After it was released, critics of the show quickly came to his defence, with sources close to him claiming Prince William was “upset” by scenes of Charles verbally abusing Diana.

Another source linked to the Royal Family described the “unfair” portrayal of him as “trolling with a Hollywood budget”.

Read more:
Analysis: Why all the fuss when fact shocks as much as fiction?
The Crown stars on becoming the royals

But following the death of the Queen, any negative depiction of her son has become all the more controversial – as it directly criticises the sitting monarch.

Royal supporters argue it is inappropriate to negatively portray the King on screen as he starts out in his role.

One particularly uncomfortable episode will see the 1989 ‘Camillagate’ tapes released, which in 1993 exposed an intimate phone conversation between Charles and Camilla when he said he wanted to be her tampon.

Martin Bashir interview

Season five will cover Princess Diana’s bombshell interview with the BBC’s Martin Bashir.

After they had separated, the 54-minute Panorama episode saw Diana detail her husband’s affair, the one she had with Army officer James Hewitt, as well as struggles with her mental health and eating disorders.

A 2021 report by Lord Dyson concluded that Mr Bashir “seriously breached” guidelines by faking bank statements to gain access to Diana’s brother Lord Spencer, in turn convincing her to do the interview.

Mr Bashir, who was seriously ill at the time, was disgraced and the BBC forced to apologise.

Prince William and Prince Harry issued statements condemning the broadcaster, saying: “It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her.”

Given the findings, which suggest Mr Bashir obtained the interview on false grounds, some have argued it should not be brought to light again in The Crown.

Former PM’s criticism

In the run-up to the premiere, The Mail on Sunday reported that season five includes Prince Charles having a conversation with then-Prime Minister Sir John Major about the possibility of succeeding his mother as monarch.

Charles allegedly tells the PM that his mother, 65 at that time, is repeating Queen Victoria’s mistakes by not letting him take over early.

Sir John, who has been close to the royals, said via his spokesperson: “Sir John has not co-operated in any way with The Crown.

“Nor has he ever been approached by them to fact-check any script material in this or any other series.

“There was never any discussion between Sir John and the then Prince of Wales about any possible abdication of the late Queen Elizabeth II.”

Prince Philip affair

There has also been controversy over reports that season five shows Prince Philip having an affair.

According to The Sun, it contains “intimate” scenes of the late-Duke of Edinburgh with Penny Knatchbull, who was 30 years his junior and is now the Countess Mountbatten of Burma.

Previous seasons have alluded to rumours of an affair, but never anything certain.

Dickie Arbiter, who was the Queen’s press secretary from 1998 to 2000, said the storyline, so soon after Her Majesty’s death, is “distasteful”.

He said: “The truth is that Penny was a long-time friend of the whole family. Netflix are not interested in people’s feelings.”

Disclaimer campaign

Those close to the Royal Family have long expressed their discontent with the show, claiming it is biased and factually incorrect.

But with the death of the Queen and accession of the King, calls for Netflix to carry a disclaimer before each episode have stepped up.

Dame Judi Dench, a friend of King Charles, recently wrote an open letter in The Times urging the streaming service to stipulate it is a “fictionalised drama”.

“The time has come for Netflix to reconsider – for the sake of a family and a nation so recently bereaved, as a mark of respect to a sovereign who served her people so dutifully for 70 years, and to preserve its reputation in the eyes of its British subscribers,” she said.

Diana crash pictures

Although season five does not cover Diana’s death in 1997, the cast and crew are currently filming season six, which does.

Netflix has confirmed in a statement that it will not show the fatal car crash – only “scenes covering the lead-up to and the aftermath”.

But paparazzi pictures of The Crown on location in Paris at the Pont de l’Alma have upset Diana fans, who claim the show’s portrayal will be too intrusive.