The Crown is now a ‘fictional dramatisation’ inspired by real events: Netflix adds disclaimer after facing critcism

A day after veteran actor Judi Dench criticised hit series The Crown for being ‘cruelly unjust’ to the British royal family, streaming giant Netflix has now added a disclaimer. The four currently available seasons of the show now appear on Netflix’s website with the words, “Inspired by real events, this fictional dramatisation tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign.” (Also Read | Judi Dench is unhappy with The Crown, calls it ‘cruelly unjust’ towards royals)

The move came after one episode in the latest series showed the then Prince Charles plotting to oust his mother as monarch. Netflix had consistently resisted calls for it to add a disclaimer. The fifth series which focuses on the 1990s is due to be released on November 9. One episode depicts heir to the throne Charles attempting to draw then prime minister John Major into a conspiracy against his mother.

As reported by news agency AFP, John has now slammed it as “damaging and malicious” fiction. “There was never any discussion between Sir John and the then Prince of Wales about any possible abdication of the late Queen Elizabeth II — nor was such an improbable and improper subject ever raised by the then Prince of Wales (or Sir John),” read a statement issued by his office.

Judi, who portrayed historical queens Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, wrote a letter to The Times newspaper and demanded the addition of a disclaimer. A part of the letter read, “While many will recognise The Crown for the brilliant but fictionalised account of events that it is, I fear that a significant number of viewers, particularly overseas, may take its version of history as being wholly true.”

She also added, “No one is a greater believer in artistic freedom than I, but this cannot go unchallenged… the programme makers have resisted all calls for them to carry a disclaimer at the start of each episode. The time has come for Netflix to reconsider — 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.”

Previous storylines that have prompted criticism include one in which the late Prince Philip, the queen’s husband, is blamed by his father for causing his sister’s death. A spokeswoman last week defended the show as a “fictional dramatisation, imagining what could have happened behind closed doors”.