THE creator of Netflix’s The Crown doesn’t want to bring any more pain on Prince William and Harry as they have “been through enough” already, it is claimed.
Peter Morgan, the scriptwriter of the hit royal drama, is said to feel a “sense of duty” towards the brothers – despite his show sparking a furious backlash over its accuracy.
Read our Royal Family live blog for the latest updates
The series was a runaway success, though critics have called on Netflix to attach a “fiction warning” amid concerns it presents viewers with a distorted version of royal history.
Culture secretary Oliver Dowden last year wrote to the streaming giant to demand it include a disclaimer at the start of the show – but Netflix claimed viewers were well aware it was “a work of fiction”.
Sources close to Morgan told the Daily Mail he felt a sense of “responsibility” towards the feuding brothers as the show prepares to focus on their struggle after the death of Princess Diana in Series Five.
Edith Bowman, host of The Crown: The Official Podcast, on which Morgan appears regularly, said: “I’ve spoken to him about it and he’s very conscious about the responsibility he feels to Harry and William with this programme moving forward.
“Because what they’ve been through already has just been excruciating for two young boys and young men.
“He feels he has a sense of duty to them.”
Series Four, which focuses on Diana joining the Royal Family and was released on November 15 last year, sparked outrage with its portrayal of prominent royals.
Piers Morgan called it “grotesquely unfair” to the Queen, while journalist Andrew Marr labelled the latest season “sadistic”.
The fifth series will be starting from 1992 – and cover a painful period for Harry and William.
During the 1990s, Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced their separation, and their divorce was eventually finalised on August 28, 1996. Diana died the following year in a car crash in Paris.
Earlier this week, Variety reported that filming of series five was set to begin in July.
Prince Harry, who last year signed a multimillion dollar deal with the film streaming giant, defended The Crown in an interview with James Corden.
Admitting that he had watched the drama, he said: “It’s fictional, but loosely based on the truth.”
The Duke of Sussex said it gives a “rough idea” of the difficulties of “putting duty and service above everything else”.
Meanwhile, a royal insider claimed that Prince William had “no desire” to watch the series as it would be “sad” for him and Harry to see their parents’ marriage play out on screen.
A source told Vanity Fair: “The feeling is that the latest series would actually be quite sad for them to watch.”
