What King Charles, Prince Harry, and More Really Think About 'The Crown'

The Crown season five follows the British royal family in the turbulent 1990s, exploring the breakdown of the marriage between Prince Charles (played by Dominic West) and Diana, Princess of Wales (Elizabeth Debicki).

The hit Netflix drama also covers Diana's infamous television interview with Martin Bashir, Princess Anne's divorce from Captain Mark Phillips, the declining popularity of the royal family, the Windsor Castle fire in Berkshire, England, and more.

Ahead of the release of the fifth season, some members of The Crown cast have spoken out in defense of the show, after it faced criticism for its historical accuracy.

For example, the U.K.'s former prime minister, John Major, who is portrayed by Elementary's Jonny Lee Miller in The Crown season five, told U.K. newspaper The Mail on Sunday that a scene in episode one where his character discusses the late Queen Elizabeth II's potential abdication was "a barrel-load of nonsense."

British actress Dame Judi Dench, 87, has accused the show of being "cruelly unjust." In an open letter to U.K. newspaper The Times, she wrote that Netflix "seems willing to blur the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism."

Major and Dench are not the only high-profile figures to voice their opinion on the drama, with members of the British Royal Family sharing their thoughts on previous seasons of The Crown.

Newsweek has everything you need to know about what King Charles, Prince Harry, and other royal family members think about The Crown.

King Charles III

According to an August 2022 report by U.K. newspaper the Daily Mail, King Charles III (then Prince Charles), told the Scottish Labour party leader: "Hello, nice to meet you all. I'm nowhere near how they portray me on Netflix," suggesting he has seen The Crown or at least has heard of the drama.

Queen Consort Camilla

Ahead of the release of The Crown's third season in 2019, Camilla's nephew Ben Elliot told Vanity Fair his aunt does enjoy the show but shared she had reservations about the third season, telling the magazine she "wasn't looking forward to the bits to come."

Season three of The Crown introduced audiences to the early years of Camilla and Charles's relationship before she married Andrew Parker Bowles and Charles wed Diana.

Camilla even hosted Emerald Fennell, 37, at an event at Clarence House in London in March 2022 to celebrate International Woman's Day.

The Crown fans will remember that Fennell portrayed Camilla in seasons three and four of the drama.

During her speech at the event, Camilla said: "It's very reassuring to know that if I should fall off my perch at any moment, my fictional alter-ego is here to take over. So, Emerald, be prepared!", reported Town And Country Magazine.

Prince William

Speaking on The Graham Norton Show in 2019, Oliva Colman, who portrayed Queen Elizabeth in seasons three and four of The Crown, told Norton: "I met Prince William at a dinner and he asked what I was doing at the moment before he quickly added, 'Actually, I know what you're doing.'

"I was so excited and asked, 'Have you watched it?' His answer was a firm, 'No.' But he was very charming and very lovely."

Apart from Colman's funny anecdote, William has not publicly revealed his thoughts on the show.

Princess Anne

To celebrate Princess Anne's 70th birthday in August 2020, ITV aired a documentary special titled: Anne: The Princess Royal at 70.

In the documentary, Princess Anne said she had watched The Crown's earlier seasons, describing them as "quite interesting."

She also addressed actress Erin Doherty's confession that styling her hair for season three and four scenes of The Crown took hours.

Princess Anne said: "Actually I read an article the other day about The Crown, and the actress was talking about how long it took them to do their hair like I did. And I'm thinking, 'How could you possibly take that long?' I mean, it takes me 10 or 15 minutes."

Prince Harry

Prince Harry admitted to his friend James Corden on talk-show The Late Late Show, he would rather watch episodes of The Crown than read what the tabloid press writes about his family.

Harry said: "I'm way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family, or my wife, or myself. Because it's the difference between that [The Crown] is obvious fiction. Take it how you will, but this is being reported on as fact because you're supposedly news. I have a real issue with that."

Harry added the show gives viewers a "rough idea" of what being a royal is like, telling Corden: "Of course, it's not strictly accurate, but loosely... it gives you a rough idea about that lifestyle and what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else; what can come from that."

In the same interview, Prince Harry shared he would like Damian Lewis, 51, to portray him in the series.

The Queen and Prince Philip

According to Vanessa Kirby, 34, who portrayed the queen's sister Princess Margaret in seasons one and two of The Crown, the late Queen Elizabeth II had seen some of the series.

Speaking to Harper's Bazaar magazine, Kirby said: "A friend of mine was at a party and didn't know anyone, so he sidled up to this group who were talking about The Crown.

"One girl said, 'Well, my granny watches it and really likes it.' It slowly dawned on him that the girl was Eugenie, and her granny was the Queen."

Additionally, Matt Smith who played The Queen's husband, Prince Philip, in seasons one and two, shared with NBC's Today Show he had heard The Queen had watched the show, but Prince Philip was not a fan.

He said: "I heard the Queen had watched it, and she used to watch it on a projector on a Sunday night apparently. I know that Philip definitely didn't. A friend of mine sat next to him at a dinner once and he asked him... apparently, he turned around to him and said, 'Don't be ridiculous.'"

The Crown seasons one to five are streaming on Netflix now.