At first, when I saw all the criticism levelled at Netflix’s fifth series of The Crown, mainly dealing with the period the then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana finally divorced, I shrugged: it seemed to have a brilliant cast (Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Jonathan Pryce, Lesley Manville), how bad could it be? Now I’ve watched all 10 episodes, the answer quite simply is: (ouch) bad. And so tasteless it’s enough to make the staunchest republican wince in sympathy for the royals.
It’s ironic that the trailer booms: “The royal family is in genuine crisis.” The same could be said of Peter Morgan’s creation. Of course, there’s an element of overkill to some of the criticism. The Crown, basically a big-budget royal soap, has (finally) been forced to admit it’s a “fictionalised dramatisation”, so the likes of Dame Judi Dench need to get over the inaccuracies. Lest we forget, the first two series, starring Claire Foy and Matt Smith, sexed up the royal family to a risible degree (where was all the righteous indignation then?). If the next series is made, The Crown would hardly be the first to portray Diana’s death. Elsewhere, the hypocrisy is deafening: the media has been “reimagining” true/untrue royal stories forever, so it needs to get off its high horse.
