THE actor who plays Prince Charles in the hit Netflix series The Crown has slammed calls for the show to come with a “warning”.
Netflix bosses declined to point out that some of The Crown’s content wasn’t an exact retelling of historic events. The plot is based on the real Royal Family.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden praised the royal drama as a “beautifully produced work of fiction”, but said viewers could be in danger of mistaking it for fact without a warning at the beginning of each episode.
Josh O’Connor – who plays Prince Charles – slammed those calls, accusing Mr Dowden of delivering a “low blow” to the arts.
O’Connor, 30, told the Los Angeles Times: “We were slightly let down by our culture secretary, whose job it is to encourage culture.
“In my opinion, it’s pretty outrageous that he came out and said what he said. Particularly in this time when he knows that the arts are struggling and they’re on their knees, I think it’s a bit of a low blow.”
O’Connor said he believed viewers understood that some of The Crown was fiction.
He said: “You have to show them the respect and understand that they’re intelligent enough to see it for what it is, which is pure fiction.”
However, Helena Bonham Carter, who plays Princess Margaret, supported Mr Dowden’s suggestion, saying The Crown had a “moral responsibility” to tell those watching that it’s not a documentary.
‘DOING DAMAGE’
It comes amid concerns fictional scenes for the fourth series written by the The Crown’s creator Peter Morgan are doing damage to the monarchy because viewers believe they are true.
A friend of Prince Charles even referred to the portrayal of the Royal family as “sinister” and “highly sophisticated propaganda”.
The fourth series of The Crown, which was released earlier this month, portrays Princess Diana‘s eating disorder and Prince Charles’ affair with the then Camilla Parker Bowles.
As her marriage to the heir to the throne crumbles, Diana, played by Emma Corrin, 24, is seen violently vomiting into a toilet on multiple occasions.
But some scenes – including the false suggestion that the affair between Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles continued throughout his marriage to Diana – have been invented.
Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, recently called for a disclaimer on the show.
He told ITV’s Lorraine: “I think it would help The Crown an enormous amount if, at the beginning of each episode, it stated that: ‘This isn’t true but it is based around some real events’.”
He added: “I worry people do think that this is gospel and that’s unfair.”
