ROYAL NO
Palace denies ‘vetting or approving content’ in Netflix series, The Crown, but makes it clear it does not endorse the show
THE palace has denied ‘approving or vetting’ royal drama The Crown amid claims the writer had meetings with senior officials.
In an unusual move, The Queen’s spokesman flatly denied claims from the show’s creator, Peter Morgan, that the Netflix series comes with a royal seal of approval.
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The monarch’s communications secretary, Donald McCabe, set the record straight in a letter to the , where he warned the show doesn’t come with any royal endorsement.
Responding to the comments made by the show’s writer, Donald said: “[it] may have the unfortunate consequence of leading your readers to believe that the television series The Crown is made with some sort of endorsement by the royal household, or an acceptance by the royal household that the drama is factually accurate.
“We appreciate that readers of The Times may enjoy this fictionalised interpretation of historical events, but they should do so knowing that the royal household is not complicit in interpretations made by the programme.
“The royal household has never agreed to vet or approve content, has not asked to know what topics will be included, and would never express a view as to the programme’s accuracy.”
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The popular series, which is returning for its third series in November, follows the life of the royal family, starting from the early years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign.
Ahead of the show’s broadcast, Peter, 56, claimed to brief royal courtiers, so senior members of the royal family can ‘brace’ themselves for how they’re portrayed.
He told the he has meetings four times a year with “people who are very high ranking and very active within the organisation.
“Respectfully, I tell them what I have in mind and they brace themselves slightly.”
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The Queen is said to be an avid fan of The Cown, after her daughter-in-law, Sophie Wessex, introduced her to it.
Royal expert, Adam Helliker, told Fabulous Digital the Countess of Wessex convinced her majesty to watch one episode, although Prince Phillip refuses to watch it.
Quoting a courtier, he said: “It was only when Sophie mentioned that everyone seemed to be talking about it - and why didn’t they give it a try, with the proviso that if they didn’t like episode one then they wouldn’t carry on - that she agreed for it to be shown at Windsor Castle one weekend.
“She sat down to see it one Saturday at teatime when she and Sophie often have a ‘TV date’ to watch old films.”
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He added The Queen is often said to interrupt the show to point out inconsistencies, saying: “But then I suppose you would if it was about your life, wouldn’t you?”
Seasons one and two of The Crown focused on the early years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, from 1947 up until 1963.
The third will span the years 1964 until 1976, and Olivia Coleman, 45, will take over from Claire Foy as The Queen, while Tobias Menzies, also 45, will replace Matt Smith as Prince Phillip.
Season three of The Crown is due for released on Sunday November 17, and the show is scheduled to run for six seasons portraying events up until the present day.
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