The Crown has never been a beloved series by the real-life British royal family. The disdain hit a fevered pitch with Season 5 due to the season’s incredibly unflattering portrayal of Prince Charles as a throne-hungry type of bloke. This, of course, followed Season 4’s resounding dump on the fairy tale. No one ever expected that Season 6 would somehow redeem itself in the Windsors’ eyes, and as if on clockwork, here we are.
The final season of the royal soap opera will presumably continue with the “fictional dramatization” disclaimer that Netflix added in Season 5 in an attempt to appease ruffled royal feathers. These episodes will include Prince William and Kate’s courtship, but that isn’t what is rankling William. Rather, he’s upset not only that the show decided to include Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed’s deaths but that the show will reportedly include a ghostly apparition of Diana. That detail hasn’t been confirmed yet by Netflix (which has pledged to treat Diana’s death with “enormous sensitivity”), but The Daily Beast has spoken to a source who claims that William is disgusted about the situation:
The friend of William’s said, “It’s incredibly hurtful to have his mother exploited over and over again in this tawdry fashion by Netflix. He won’t watch it, but he will be totally sickened by it.”
Asked whether William would be angry with his brother for continuing to work with Netflix, the friend said: “William is angry about a lot of things in connection with Harry. His decision to work with Netflix, who have ruthlessly exploited the family, is certainly one of them.”
Diana will continue to be portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki after Emma Corrin originated the role in Season 4. Dominic West currently plays Prince Charles, and Ed McVey portrays William. From the synopsis:
“A relationship blossoms between Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed before a fateful car journey has devastating consequences. Prince William tries to integrate back into life at Eton in the wake of his mother’s death as the monarchy has to ride the wave of public opinion. As she reaches her Golden Jubilee, the Queen reflects on the future of the monarchy with the marriage of Charles and Camilla and the beginnings of a new Royal fairytale in William and Kate.”
The first part of The Crown‘s final season arrives on November 16 with the second part on December 16.
