Prince William won't be happy with Netflix's The Crown says expert

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Members of the Royal Family are reported to be concerned as the release date for the new series of Netflix drama The Crown draws closer. Series five of the hit show based on the life of Queen Elizabeth II will focus on the 1990s, and is set to contain some sensitive historical events for the Royal Family. Royal commentator for the Daily Express Pandora Forsyth suggested Prince William in particular is not likely to be “very happy” about the inclusion of his mother’s groundbreaking BBC Panorama interview. The Prince of Wales has previously slammed the “deceitful” manner in which the interview with Princess Diana was conducted and called for the programme never to be aired again.

Speaking to GB News about the upcoming series of The Crown, Ms Forsyth asserted: “It is a dramatisation and not a documentary.”

She continued: “However, with news of the interview being played out and acted within the Netflix drama series, given what Prince William did say last year,  I can’t imagine he will be very happy about it to say the least.

“I can’t imagine he will be very happy about the series in general, to be honest.

“Who wants their family laundry aired out on a Netflix series? I know I certainly wouldn’t.”

In a statement last year, Prince William claimed the BBC interview contributed to the “fear, paranoia and isolation” felt by his mother during his “final years with her”.

He reported: “It is my firm view that this Panorama programme holds no legitimacy and should never be aired again.”

“It effectively established a false narrative which, for over a quarter of a century, has been commercialised by the BBC and others.

“This settled narrative now needs to be addressed by the BBC and anyone else who has written or intends to write about these events.”

He claimed his mother was failed by a “rogue reporter,” with cooperation from “leaders at the BBC,” among others.

Read more: Royals ‘incredibly nervous’ about ‘most horrific times’ in The Crown

Last year, an independent inquiry into Diana’s panorama interview, headed by former Supreme Court judge Lord Dyson, determined the programme “fell short of the high standards of integrity and transparency” expected of the broadcaster.

Interviewer Martin Bashir was found to have breached BBC guidelines after he mocked up fake documents in order to gain access to Princess Diana and conduct the interview. Mr Bashir has since apologised for his actions at the time.

In a separate statement following the inquiry, Prince Harry said he had “deep concerns” that such practices “are still widespread today”.

He added: “The ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took [Princess Diana’s] life.”

Ms Forsyth suggested new episodes of The Crown will likely be “difficult for the Royal Family”.

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Sir John Major, another public figure who has been portrayed in The Crown, hit out at Netflix for creating “damaging and malicious fiction”.

A spokesperson for the former prime minister described the show as a “barrel-load of nonsense,” adding that much of the narrative was “entirely false”.

In apparent recognition of possible backlash to the new series, Netflix has added a disclaimer to emphasise the show as a work of fiction.

The caption underneath a trailer for series five read: “Inspired by real events, this fictional dramatisation tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign.”

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