Prince Harry reportedly has “no control” over his portrayal in The Crown, despite his deal with Netflix.
Based on historical events, the show dramatises the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that have shaped her reign.
The upcoming fifth and sixth seasons of The Crown will focus on the 90s – paying particular attention to Princess Diana, and her children Harry and Prince William.
A Netflix source has claimed that Harry has “no control” over how he, or the events will be portrayed in the series, despite having a production deal with the streaming service.
An LA based Netflix team member told The US Sun: “The world may think that Prince Harry’s deal with us means he has some control on the company’s output, but it is not the case.”
“He has some say in the content he produces for them, but outside of that the company remains independent. And one key aspect of that is The Crown.”
“Harry has no control over what storylines or material Left Bank put together for The Crown.”
“No-one knows whether he thought that there would be some kind of say when he came to the table, but it was made clear early on [that] The Crown has no part of his remit.”
“And not only that, but Harry does not have input in the scripts or narrative of the show either directly through Left Bank or indirectly through Netflix.”
“There is no opportunity for him to send over his ideas or suggestions either.”
“Only the drama executive team and department chiefs have seen screeners so far, but the previews are going out in the next few days to select Netflix team members, media and associates.”
The insider added that one of the major storylines in the series is Princess Diana’s 1995 Panorama interview with Martin Bashir,” which they cited as a “sensitive period for Harry and William”.
“It is no secret that they were disgusted at how Bashir gained Diana’s trust and how her interview set off a bomb in their world and effectively all-out war between their parents.”
“Any replay of those periods will be emotionally disturbing for him to watch.”
The Crown returns to Netflix with its fifth season on November 9.
It has previously been reported that William will be upset over how his relationship with his brother will be portrayed.
A TV insider told the outlet: “This couldn’t have come at a more delicate time for the new King and his Queen Consort [Camilla], particularly as they’re riding high in the minds of the public.”
“There’s a sense that Netflix are muckraking over events that took place 30 to 40 years ago but are still raw for those involved. The worst element for the royals is that millions of people around the world will view this series and view it less as a drama and more as a documentary.”
