'The Crown' Trailer Carries Royal Disclaimer: 'Inspired by Real Events'

Netflix has included a short disclaimer in marketing material for its hit drama The Crown, after the streaming giant faced calls in Britain to make clear to viewers that the dramatized events are not wholly based in fact.

The series has come under fire in recent weeks as the fifth installment of the six-season drama prepares for release on November 9. Netflix decided to move forward with the November release date following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, on whom the series is based, after her death at the age of 96 in September.

The trailer for season five was released on Thursday and shows short clips of the most dramatic moments from the highly anticipated ten episodes which depict royal events from the early 1990s. These include the 1992 fire at Windsor Castle, Princess Diana's 1995 interview with BBC's Panorama and the public breakdown of Prince Charles and Diana's marriage.

The season description displayed on the official Netflix YouTube account reads:

"Inspired by real events, this fictional dramatization tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign.

"It's a new decade, and the royal family are facing what may be their biggest challenge yet: proving their continued relevance in '90s Britain. As Diana and Charles wage a media war, cracks begin to splinter the royal foundation."

This first disclaimer was not featured on earlier season trailer releases.

The statement is also included on the series page of Netflix's website.

There have been calls for Netflix to implement a disclaimer making clear to viewers that the interactions represented are imagined takes on real-life events since The Crown's debut in 2016.

In 2020, Britain's then culture secretary Oliver Dowden called the series a "work of fiction" arguing that it should be labeled as such, following its portrayal of Princess Diana's introduction to royal life.

"It's a beautifully produced work of fiction, so as with other TV productions, Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just that," Dowden said. "Without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact."

In a strong rebuttal to the statement, Netflix said: "We have always presented The Crown as a drama—and we have every confidence our members understand it's a work of fiction that's broadly based on historical events.

"As a result we have no plans—and see no need—to add a disclaimer."

The issue came to a head in recent weeks, following the death of Elizabeth, and accession of the new King Charles III. Charles' marriage to Diana and love affair with Camilla Parker Bowles is an expected central theme of season five.

Veteran actress Judi Dench led public figures voicing their concern that the public will be unable to differentiate fact from fiction, in a recent letter sent to The Times of London.

In it she claims that the series, created by writer Peter Morgan, proceeds to "blur the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism."

Dench also called for Netflix to reconsider their stance on placing a disclaimer on the show, "for the sake of a family and a nation so recently bereaved, as a mark of respect to a sovereign who served her people so dutifully for 70 years, and to preserve its reputation in the eyes of its British subscribers."

Another prominent voice to criticize the series is former prime minister Sir John Major, who is a prominent character in season five. After being told some of the content he is portrayed in, he issued a statement calling the show "a barrel-load of nonsense."

Neither Dench nor Major are reported to have seen episodes from the upcoming season.

Whether the streaming giant's move in displaying the "fictionalized drama" disclaimer on its marketing will extend to a message displayed at the beginning of each episode of The Crown, as many have called for, is unknown.

A spokesperson for Netflix told Newsweek: "The Crown has always been presented as a drama based on historical events.

"Series five is a fictional dramatization, imagining what could have happened behind closed doors during a significant decade for the Royal Family—one that has already been scrutinized and well documented by journalists, biographers and historians.'

However, the disclaimer is something that would be "easily included" in the episodes, a prominent royal commentator told Newsweek.

"The marketing for The Crown by Netflix has been altered to reflect that it is a 'fictional dramatization,'" royal and media expert Richard Fitzwilliams said.

"Viewers, however, need to be reminded of this before each episode. That is where a disclaimer that people will remember should appear. There is a strong backlash against it, especially since it is being screened so soon after the queen's passing."

"Netflix now has 2.4 million more subscribers and has bounced back from its financial crisis," he added. "It could easily have postponed it as a mark of respect."

In considering whether the platform's executives will decide to display a disclaimer on the show's episodes themselves, Fitzwilliams believes this to be "unlikely."

"It could equally easily include the disclaimer before each episode that is being called for. If the backlash grows, it may decide to do so," he said.

"Considering what we know of the content of the fifth series and of past episodes, it certainly should. It would of course have to appear before all episodes, so it remains highly unlikely that it will."

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