Netflix has added a disclaimer to the latest trailer for The Crown marking the Royal drama as "fictional" following complaints from Dame Judi Dench and Sir John Major.
Earlier trailers for the smash hit show only included a description of the series. But Netflix has now added a line to its YouTube page describing the show's upcoming fifth series as a “fictional dramatisation” and “inspired by real events”.
Netflix has previously described The Crown as “fictionalised drama” in its press materials, on social media and on The Crown’s landing page on its platform, but actress Dame Judi had cricicised the streaming service for not doing enough to make it clear to viewers around the world that the show is not completely truthful and relies on artistic licence to make it more dramatic.
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Former Prime Minister SIr John Major, who is set to be depicted by Trainspotting star Jonny Lee Miller in the new series, is another critic.
Stage and screen veteran Dame Judi has called for a disclaimer to be added to each episode of The Crown, saying it has begun to verge on “crude sensationalism”.
Sir John is said to have described the forthcoming scenes, which reportedly depict the King, then the Prince of Wales, plotting to oust the Queen, as “malicious nonsense”.
The forthcoming series is expected to show Charles cutting short a holiday with Diana, Princess of Wales to host a secret meeting with Sir John at Highgrove in 1991.
The fourth series of the lavish Netflix drama also attracted criticism for allegedly not doing enough to ensure viewers knew it was a work of fiction.
Oliver Dowden, the then culture secretary, asked Netflix to add a disclaimer to episodes, a request the company rejected.
A spokeswoman for The Crown previously said: “The Crown has always been presented as a drama based on historical events.
“Series five is a fictional dramatisation, imagining what could have happened behind closed doors during a significant decade for the royal family – one that has already been scrutinised and well-documented by journalists, biographers and historians.”
The programme’s creator, Peter Morgan, also defended the forthcoming series in an interview with US publication Entertainment Weekly published this week.
“I think we must all accept that the 1990s was a difficult time for the royal family, and King Charles will almost certainly have some painful memories of that period,” he said.
“But that doesn’t mean that, with the benefit of hindsight, history will be unkind to him, or the monarchy. The show certainly isn’t.”
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