At the end of February, the Netflix Original, The Crown, swept the Golden Globes for their marvelous portrayals and phenomenal production of the show. It came as no surprise to viewers who had become captivated by the most recent fourth season that was released in November 2020. Centered around Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, the show ventures through the 1940’s to the modern 20th century, with looks into her private life with her family. The new season took place starting in the late 1970’s, introducing new characters and events to dive into. It raised controversies, particularly in the British press, about the characterization of certain royals and the presentation of fiction being fact.
The intrigue surrounding this season was in part due to the introduction of a familiar, modern figure in the royal family: the late Princess Diana. Her unconventional, but genuine approach to life as a royal after marrying Prince Charles made her recognized and loved globally. Following her untimely death in 1997, her sons Prince William and Harry were plunged further into the criticism and spotlight of the press and their royal duties without their mother. Diana had been loved for so many years, and her sons were fixated on after their mother’s death since the world had seen them mature and grow as they had with Diana.
The historical events of this season are undoubtedly closer than any others. Diana’s death was only a little more than two decades ago, and the world that knew her then still remembers her now. Her sons are now older and with their own wives and families, still in the spotlight, so the highlighting of her life was criticized for being too soon in its reenactment of a time that is not so much textbook history as lived history for many members of the public and her family.
In marrying Charles, Diana was catapulted into the British spotlight. Through the public eye, she was the fairytale princess they had all been waiting for, and her life changed almost instantly. What wasn’t as apparent to the public eye was the immense pressures that she faced from the royal family, especially her husband who was having an affair for most of their marriage. Belittlement about her weight from him, and hopelessness in a cold, distant family, led to an eating disorder. Beyond that, the press hounded Diana from every corner as her global status grew, and although she gave the presentation of a perfect princess, for many years, the real pain she went through was not known. Diana’s work with Andrew Morton on his 1992 book, Diana: Her True Story-in Her Own Words, brought a lot of this to the forefront in a time where she was seen, but not understood and known in these intimate details.
Upon the release of this new season, which touched upon some of the deeper issues Diana faced personally in her marriage, viewership skyrocketed and so did criticism of the show’s intentions. More than any other season of the show thus far, the criticism surrounding fact vs. fiction reached a startling height. With reports of Prince Charles himself being displeased with the portrayal of his past marriage, and his son, Prince William, also unsettled by the depiction of his father verbally abusing his mother, the question of this season’s relevance had to be asked. The Crown has never stated that it is more than a drama; it draws on historical events, but of course, it honors the power of fictionalizing events.
Prince Charles is next in line to the throne after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The new season has painted him in so negatively a light towards Diana that the British press wonder if this will taint the public’s perspective of their future king. How does the lack of glamorization in The Crown affect the opinion of the royal family as a whole? This is a special concern directed towards younger generations that have seen the Diana’s of their time come forth: Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle. The popularity of The Crown will only continue to grow in its final seasons when the history becomes even more recent.
The concern that people, when watching the show, won’t be able to distinguish between this being a fictional presentation of history versus a play-by-play of what actually happened is understandable. However, it has come to eclipse the overall reception of the work done on the show, through tedious historical research, eye-witness interviews, and the performances by dedicated actors that understand the weight of the material they are to portray. It was not questioned before, in earlier seasons, whether or not Netflix should be releasing a disclaimer that the show was a fictional drama not to be consumed as a documentary. Now that the history is more current and touching the royal family in very present ways, like affecting Charles’ public image as a soon-to-be king, the concern is on another level.
Conflicting reports come up on this topic of a disclaimer on the Netflix show being needed. “The Crown is a body of non-fictional work, adding a drama disclaimer takes away from its viewers’ emotional connection and attachment. It’s almost giving in to the lies and the cover-ups the royal family once wanted [with Diana],” a viewer noted. “If you don’t understand it’s fiction at this point, that’s on you as a viewer,” another viewer noted. Even though the royal family and British press’s criticism were with good intentions, the response in return may have only heightened distaste towards them with the refreshed understanding of how Diana was treated when marrying into their family.
Something about the focus on Diana’s story within the family is a possible stinging reminder of the impact she had on the institution of the monarchy and the way she shaped the public’s perception of it.
Above all else, The Crown inherently tells a story of familial issues and relationships in the setting of the royal family. While Prince Charles and Diana’s marriage is at the center of it, the complexity as to what leads to Charles’ coldness is portrayed through the development of characters like his parents. The performances may appear to be damaging on the surface level, but really, they explore the themes of love, honor, and family in real ways. The show touches on the institution of the monarchy, but mostly the core of human emotion, which in the royal family’s case, was not a part of the protocols of duty and service.
Perhaps that is still difficult for the real family to confront.
Recently, in an interview with James Corden, Prince Harry commented, “[The Crown] don’t pretend to be news. It’s fictional, but it’s loosely based on the truth. Of course it’s not strictly accurate, but loosely, it gives you a rough idea of what that lifestyle, what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that.” He continued to say, “I’m way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family or my wife or myself. Because it’s the difference between – that [The Crown] is obviously fiction, take it how you will, but this [the press] is being reported as fact because you’re supposedly news. I have a real issue with that.” The distinguishing between fact and fiction is not something new to Harry, as he understands the fixation on certain narratives from the way his mother dealt with the unforgiving press for years. He knows the treatment and fixation well in his own adult life too now, so his response to this rising criticism of the show comforted actors and viewers alike.
There is no doubt that conversations like this will only continue to grow, and the extent of their impact will have to be seen, as the next two final seasons are released. It will only get closer and closer to present times, and the reception could be better or worse than it was this season. Understandably, any person would be somewhat uncomfortable to see their life fictionalized and portrayed on television for millions of global viewers to watch, but with the royal family being already so in the public eye, it remains intriguing as to why what has been public knowledge some way or another is so discomforting for them to confront. We will never know what happened behind closed doors in the royal family’s history, but perhaps we can begin to understand this family’s complex relationship with its history by their immediate defensive response to a work that claims to be nothing more than a drama.
Watch the Season 4 trailer: https://youtu.be/OiXEpminPms