When fiction threatens reality a little too much. Netflix added a warning message below the trailer for The Crownhis successful series on the life of Elizabeth II, explaining that it was a “fictional” work inspired by real events, after the virulent criticism of British personalities.
“Based on true events, this fictional drama tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign,” reads the trailer for the series now on YouTube as well as on the Netflix website.
Growing criticism
The platform had so far resisted requests to add such a message. But criticism of the show has grown increasingly vocal as season 5 nears its November 9 release.
Former British Prime Minister John Major has called the series a “barrel of nonsense” while according to the press, season 5 will depict Charles plotting to oust the Queen in the 90s. conversations in which Charles pressures John Major to force his mother to abdicate.
Actress Judi Dench – who played Queen Victoria on film – has added her voice to the critics, describing the series as “grossly unfair” to the royal family. The Oscar-winning comedian, who is close to King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla, criticized Netflix for “blurring the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism”. She worried about the risk that “a significant number of viewers” would confuse the series with historical truth. In the Daily TelegraphWilliam Shawcross, author of a biography of the Queen Mother, called the series “odious”, full of “lies and half-truths”.
Accusations of bias
The new season of The Crown, one of Netflix’s biggest hits, is set to air as Charles, 73, makes his debut as a ruler following the death of his mother Elizabeth II last month. He will be crowned on May 6 in London.
Season 4 had previously been accused of being biased in its handling of Charles and Diana’s relationship. She had consecrated the entry of “Lady Di” into the royal family, whom Emma Corrin portrays as a lonely fiancée, then a young bride anguished in the face of a cold and unfaithful husband, still in love with her childhood sweetheart, Camilla.
But criticism had always been dismissed by the production, which insists that the series has “always been presented as fiction based on historical events”.