Here’s a rundown of all the drama that happened in the lead up to The Crown season five

Dame Judi Dench even called out the show👀

2 years ago

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Season five of The Crown has officially dropped on Netflix and after waiting so long we can now get our dose of Royal Family drama neatly fit into 10 episodes. This season of The Crown covers the 1990s and a lot is set to go down. From Diana’s BBC Panorama interview to the Windsor Castle fire, there is a lot of ground to be covered. In the run up to the release of the new season, there has been a lot of drama to say the least.

From the portrayal of King Charles to the Martin Bashir and Princess Diana interview, here is all the drama that has happened in the run up to season five of The Crown:

The recreation of the Martin Bashir and Princess Diana interview has been argued as being in poor taste

Season five will cover one of the most famous interviews in history. Princess Diana’s interview with Martin Bashir has been recreated for the new season which fans of the Royal Family have said is in poor taste due to the later findings of the interview.

The BBC Panorama episode saw Princess Diana famously detail her husband’s affair, her affair and her struggles with eating disorders and her mental health. In 2021, a report found that Martin Bashir “seriously breached” guidelines by faking bank statements to gain access to Lord Spencer, which convinced Diana to do the interview.

via Netflix

Given the findings of the report, many have argued the interview should not be highlighted in The Crown. Prasanna Puwanarajah, the actor who plays Martin Bashir in The Crown said careful steps were taken in reproducing the interview accurately.

Sir John Major criticised The Crown before season five aired

Before the new season dropped on netflix, The Mail on Sunday reported season five of The Crown would include Prince Charles having a conversation with the former prime minister Sir John Major about the possibility of succeeding the Queen as monarch.

via Netflix

A spokesperson for Sir John Major said in response: “Sir John has no co-operated in any way with The Crown. Nor has he ever been approached by them to fact check any script material in this or any other series. There were never any discussion between Sir John and the then Prince of Wales about any possible abdication of the late Queen Elizabeth II.”

The portrayal of the now King Charles III was described as inappropriate

Royal supporters have argued Charles’ negative portrayal in The Crown is inappropriate seeing as he is just starting out in his role as King, following the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Charles’ portrayal in season four was particularly criticised, with sources linked to the Royal Family calling it “trolling with a Hollywood budget”.

via Netflix

There was controversy over reports of Prince Philip having an affair

In the lead up to the release of season five of The Crown, The Sun reported the new season contained “intimate” scenes between the late Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull. Penelope Knatchbull is a close friend of the Royal Family, who lost her youngest daughter in 1991.

via Netflix

Dickie Arbiter, who was the Queen’s press secretary from 1998 to 2000, said the storyline, so soon after the Queen’s death is “distasteful”. He said: “The truth is that Penny was a long-time friend of the whole family. Netflix are not interested in people’s feelings.”

Dame Judi Dench called out The Crown for ‘crude sensationalism’

When The Crown season five was filmed, Queen Elizabeth II was still alive and as such the crew had no idea she would have passed away before the new season was released.

Dame Judi Dench recently wrote an open letter in The Times and said: “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.”

Season five of The Crown is now available on Netflix. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.