AS I sat opposite Prince Harry in Kensington Palace, he suddenly asked me: “Are you watching The Crown?”
The question, which came as I interviewed him for an upcoming book in 2017, took me by surprise.
Prince Diana’s death will be covered in the upcoming series of The Crown
A new scene from The Crown shows Prince Charles and Princess Diana on holiday with sons Harry and William
In the six years since it first aired, the Royal Family has consistently denied watching the hit Netflix drama.
And who can blame them? The thought of royal history being retold through imagined scenes and dragging The Firm’s name through the mud must have appalled the late Queen.
Nonetheless, Harry seemed to quite like The Crown. He was a fan of the first two seasons, but admitted he was starting to get a bit nervous.
His ‘red line’ was clear: he wanted the show to end before the point his own life – and that of his brother, Prince William – would be shown on-screen.
It appears his wish has fallen on deaf ears. As HOAR revealed recently, the Duke of Sussex will have “no control” on storylines and how he will be portrayed in the new series – despite signing a multi-million pound deal with Netflix in 2020.
Now, however, the Prince must make an overdue stand. Shameless show bosses are set to recreate the death of Princess Diana in such harrowing detail that even their own staff fear “a line has been crossed”.
For the sake of decency, Harry must cut all ties with Netflix.
Judging by The Crown’s previous form, his mother’s fatal accident will not be portrayed sensitively.
I’m certain the scenes will be heartbreaking for anyone to watch and it’s appalling that scriptwriters are cashing in on her tragedy.
Worse still, Harry and Meghan Markle’s documentary about their first year of marriage will appear on Netflix shortly after The Crown ends.
Just a month ago, the nation united to mourn Her Majesty The Queen in a beautiful and respectful display.
Crowds embraced King Charles, wished him well and sang God Save The King for the first time.
Now The Crown will be trying to derail that positive feeling with more scenes based on falsehoods and fiction.
I have no doubt Charles and Camilla come under fire over scenes in the show and fear it could risk turning the public against them.
They have both been hurt by malicious and untrue claims about their involvement in Diana’s accident for the last 25 years – now they risk having to face them all over again.
Knowing of the pending problems set to blight his family, it is all the more outrageous that Harry continues to work with Netflix.
Not only that, his eagerly-anticipated memoir – reportedly rewritten to include an extra chapter covering the Queen’s funeral – will prove another unwelcome distraction.
All of this will present huge problems for King Charles, the rest of the Royal Family and the monarchy as an institution.
Ultimately, it doesn’t seem that Harry cares so long as it doesn’t interfere with his life – a man who wants total privacy, except for when he’s speaking badly about others. The hypocrisy is gross.
All of this will present huge problems for King Charles, the rest of the royals and the monarchy as an institution. If Harry truly wants a meaningful future with his family, he must protect their past.
The Crown’s portrayal of Charles and Diana’s relationship has been heavily critiqued by royal experts
