The fifth season of hit Netflix show The Crown is almost here - and it's already proving controversial before it has even been aired.
The new episodes are set to focus on the Royal Family during some of their most turbulent times in the early 1990s. For the forthcoming series of the lavish royal drama, which features Dominic West as then Prince Charles, while Elizabeth Debicki plays Princess Diana and Imelda Staunton the Queen. But it has already come in for criticism from some for its upcoming controversial storylines, which former Prime Minister Sir John Major has now slammed as "malicious nonsense".
Netflix has hit back and said The Crown "has always been presented as a drama based on historical events".
It added: "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.”
So what can we expect in this new season? Here we take a look...
Queen ousting plot
According to reports, one storyline will see the-now King Charles plotting to persuade his mother the Queen to abdicate from the throne back in 1991.
During the first episode which airs on November 9, Charles is believed to summon Sir John to a secret meeting at his Highgrove estate and schemes to oust the Queen.
In another of the rumoured scenes from the show, the former PM and his wife Dame Norma also reportedly talk about the Royal Family disparagingly.
A spokesman for Sir John, played by Jonny Lee Miller in the series, previously told The Times that if the scenes are broadcast "they should be seen as nothing other than damaging and malicious fiction”.
A spokesman for the couple said: "Sir John has not cooperated – in any way – with The Crown. Nor has he ever been approached by them to fact-check any script material.
"Discussions between the Monarch and Prime Minister are private and – for Sir John – will always remain so."
Charles and Diana split
The new episodes are also set to detail the breakdown of the marriage of Charles and Princess Diana.
However, the decision has been criticised as it comes just weeks after the late Queen's death and the King's accession to the throne.
A source told The Sun of the upcoming series: "This couldn’t have come at a more delicate time for the new King and his Queen Consort, particularly as they’re riding high in the minds of the public.
"There’s a sense that Netflix is muckraking over events that took place 30 to 40 years ago, but are still raw for those involved."
The insider added: "The worst element for the royals is that millions of people around the world will view this series and view it less as a drama and more as a documentary."
Prince Philip 'affair'
Another reported storyline that has also proved controversial is that showing the late Prince Philip pursuing an affair.
Philip will reportedly be seen in intimate scenes alongside close friend Penny Knatchbull.
According to TV insiders, the pair are seen touching hands as Philip complains about his marriage with the Queen.
But shutting down speculation about their long-time friendship, the Queen’s former press secretary Dickie Arbiter said: "This is cruel rubbish" that will "hurt people's feelings".
Diana's Panorama interview
One of the other flashpoints from the 1990s that The Crown is said to re-enact is Diana's bombshell Panorama interview.
Reports say the drama will air an entire episode focusing on the tragic royal’s controversial tell-all chat with Martin Bashir in 1995.
An independent inquiry found that Bashir deceived Diana to get the interview, seen by more than 20 million viewers at the time.
Diana's eldest son Prince William insisted that broadcasting the interview, again and again, holds ‘no legitimacy’ after a bombshell report found that Bashir used specific tactics to gain his mother’s trust.
A source has now told The Telegraph that William had made his feelings about it "very clear" and that a fictional depiction would be "met in the way you would expect".
Diana's final days
Meanwhile, it has also been reported that plans are in place for the sixth and final series of The Crown to show Princess Diana's final days.
Although it is thought the show will not depict the Paris car crash that killed her, it will show the lead-up to the fatal incident as well as its aftermath.
Diana died in August 1997 after the car she was travelling in crashed in Paris' Pont de l'Alma tunnel.
The move by chiefs of the royal drama has reportedly resulted in a backlash amongst staff who feel 'a line has been crossed' over the insensitive timing so soon after the Queen's death.
A set source told The Sun : "To be going back to Paris and turning Diana’s final days and hours into a drama feels very uncomfortable. Finally, some of the crew members are pushing back on the ideas being tabled.
"The show always tried to present a fictional version of royal history with as much sensitivity as possible. But lately, as things get closer to the present day, it feels harder to strike that balance."
