THE Crown has been slammed for showing a young Prince William as ‘sad and unfulfilled’ in the new series’ Princess Diana scenes.
Season five of the Netflix show is set to premiere on November 9, and will see the future King reach adolescence amid his parents very public separation.
The Crown has been slammed for showing a young Prince William as ‘sad and unfulfilled’ in the new series’ Princess Diana scenes
Series five documents the breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage and the impact it had on their sons
The young prince is played by Dominic West’s son Senan, 15, and journalists who have had previews of the episodes say William cuts a miserable figure.
William is seen comforting his mother, Princess Diana, during her separation from the then Prince Charles but royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams believes the show should have reflected how the late Princess tried to ensure her sons had a happy and as-normal-as-possible upbringing.
He told MailOnline’s FEMAIL: “Those watching what The Crown shows should also bear in mind that there were, even in the nineties, happy times for William too.
“Whereas many of the events it portrays were indeed grim, it should surely also show how William was loved as a child.”
He continued: “William, it has been reported, is portrayed as sad, unfulfilled and melancholy in the fifth series.
“[But Diana] was more casual than Charles, a trip to the cinema, skiing or, most famously, to an amusement park, was more her style.
“She wanted her sons to have as normal as upbringing as they possibly could under very trying circumstances.”
His comments come after it was revealed Prince William’s heartfelt pleas not to exploit the notorious Panorama interview with his mum have been ignored by the makers of The Crown.
The series has TWO episodes building up to the 1995 BBC bombshell and its aftermath.
A young William is shown watching the interview, and being asked by a teacher if he is all right.
His father Charles is shown yelling as he watches, then crying.
It was thought that streaming giant Netflix had slashed the length of the recreation to tiny snippets lasting just seconds..
But it is understood that the Prince made his feelings clear in a statement last April, accusing the programme of fuelling his mother’s paranoia and worsening his parents’ marriage.
He had said: “It is my view that the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said. The interview was a major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse and has since hurt countless others.
“It is my firm view that this Panorama programme holds no legitimacy and should never be aired again. It effectively established a false narrative which, for over a quarter of a century, has been commercialised by the BBC and others.”
Netflix said: “Season five of The Crown will dramatise events surrounding the Panorama interview, given the pivotal part it played during the time period the series covers.
“It will reflect what we now know about how the interview was obtained and how Diana was treated. The interview is not recreated in full.”
A royal expert believes the show needed to reflect the happiness Diana strived to give her sons despite her marriage breaking down
Season five of The Crown is released on Netflix on November 9, with seasons 1-4 available now.
