One royal family member actually "loved" their portrayal in The Crown
When season 4 of The Crown dropped on Netflix, it was pretty much all we could watch/think/talk about – and apparently is was no different for the real life royal family, whose lives the show is loosely based on. Yep, they had some *opinions* on the latest series too (and not all of them positive).
A quick recap, as it's been a few months: latest helping of The Crown focussed on the thirteen year period between 1977 and 1990, using historical facts as the basis to imagine what went on behind closed doors in the likes of Buckingham Palace and Balmoral. Viewers saw Prince Charles and Diana getting together, Margaret Thatcher become Prime Minister and Camilla Parker Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall's friendship with her now-husband, play out.
Undoubtedly it must be extremely weird to see your (and your family's) supposed lives depicted on a popular show, it's no wonder that the real royals have had a mixed response – some have apparently accused the creators of "trolling on a Hollywood budget", whereas others are rumoured to be settling in with a glass of wine to watch it of an evening. One even went so far as to say they "loved" how their wedding was portrayed.
Here are all the reported reactions the royal family have had to The Crown:
Sarah Ferguson
Despite many of the royals not ~loving~ The Crown, it appears Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, is one exception to the rule: she told Us Weekly that she "loved" the way her wedding to Prince Andrew was filmed. "I thought it was filmed beautifully. The cinematography was excellent," Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie's mother told the publication. "I loved the way they put my wedding in as well." The character of Sarah was played by newcomer Jessica Aquilina.
Prince Harry
Prince Charles and Diana's youngest child is apparently not going to be tuning in – but he has seen the trailers for the latest season. A source told Vanity Fair's Katie Nicholl: "Harry has seen the trailers for series four but I can’t see him watching it." She writes that another insider added, "The feeling is that the latest series would actually be quite sad for them [William and Harrry] to watch." Which slightly breaks our hearts a little bit tbh (we hate the idea of them being upset!).
Princess Anne
The Queen's only daughter, a skilled showjumper, has apparently very much squashed the idea that she'll be tuning in – a report, also from Katie Nicholl, a royal correspondent, said a source told her the princess "has no time for such nonsense". Fair enough!
Prince William
Another member of the royal family who's thought to be unhappy with the programme is Prince William. According to alleged friends of Prince Charles who spoke to The Daily Mail, "The Duke of Cambridge is none too pleased with it. He feels that both his parents are being exploited and being presented in a false, simplistic way to make money."
The Queen
Also reported by Katie Nichol, it's believed an insider source said: "The Queen has no desire to watch herself in a fictitious TV program." So, err, yeah... that's another hard no from camp royal then!
Princess Eugenie
A fan! The show appears to have a royal fan! According to Hello! magazine, the Queen’s granddaughter (who is currently expecting her first child) said she’d watched "a couple of episodes" in 2017 and was on board. "It is filmed beautifully," she said. "The music is wonderful, the story is beautiful. You feel very proud to watch it. I can’t speak for everyone, but that’s how I felt when I watched it."
Camilla Parker Bowles
Prince Charles' second wife is thought to be a lot more enthusiastic about The Crown than her husband. Speaking to Vanity Fair, a source close to the Duchess of Cornwall revealed, "I imagine she’ll be tuning in with a glass of red wine to watch it, she has seen the previous series. She has a wonderful sense of humour and this won’t fuss her in the slightest." They continued, "She has watched it, of course she has and I believe [Charles] has too. I don’t think she has any real issue with it. Her feeling is very much 'never complain, never explain'."
Prince Charles
The future king is thought to be seriously peeved about his portrayal on the show... uh oh. Emily Andrews, Royal Editor at the Mail on Sunday, wrote that the 72-year-old's friends have classed the depiction of him as "trolling on a Hollywood budget" and says that the palace really are not happy with the entire situation.
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