The anxiously awaited season 5 of Netflix’s hit, The Crown is set to drop on Nov. 9, and according to a royal expert, the issues covered this time around might hit too close to home for the current royals.
Tensions are at an all-time high for the royals in season 5. In a brand-new trailer teasing the show’s season premiere, viewers can get a peek into the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. It will span the early ’90s and is set to portray a time when hostilities between Prince Charles and Princess Diana were at an all-time high. They officially separated in 1992 and would go on to officially divorce five years later.
“I think this series is going to be quite uncomfortable viewing, not just for [Queen Consort] Camilla and [King] Charles but also for William and Harry,” royal expert Katie Nicholl said. “Scenes leading up to their mother’s death are going to be very, very uncomfortable for them.”
She went on to say that while the princes mourned their mother’s death in the public eye, both of them have spoken about the tragedy — and royal or not, it’s not something anyone wants to have dramatized for television.
Another change from the previous seasons is that many of the subjects in the upcoming season are still alive. “The events, yes, are 25 years old, but they still feel very current because they’re constantly still making headlines — largely through films and TV series like this,” Nicholl finished. “Those early [seasons] felt like there was enough history, felt like there was enough distance. But this just feels uncomfortably close.”
Season 5 will be the show’s first run since the death of Queen Elizabeth back on Sept. 8. Imelda Staunton, who plays Queen Elizabeth, says that the cast was actually filming at the time that the news broke. “We filmed that day, and then we got home and then discovered [what had happened] on the 6 o’clock, 6:30 news, so that was pretty devastating,” she said. “I was relieved that I then [already] had a week off. Anyway, filming stopped. But it was odd, to say the least, and I’m glad I had time to regroup before I started again.”
As an added complication, an upcoming documentary on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has been delayed until next year following backlash surrounding The Crown.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had been rumored to be working on a documentary for Netflix as part of a $100 million deal with the streaming giant. However, the series has been pushed back by at least a year
The series is reportedly a co-production between Netflix and the Sussexes, however, Netflix has not confirmed or denied the existence of the documentary.
After the debacle of the Oprah interview, the Palace is watching the Sussexes closely and according to royal watchers, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s royal titles could potentially be in jeopardy. The couple’s children, Lilibet and Archie, are still awaiting their prince and princess status (King Charles III is reportedly holding off until the release of the Sussex’s Netflix docuseries). But now royal expert and author Katie Nicholl thinks Meghan and Harry could face a demotion if the Sussexes are “seen to be tarnishing the institution” with Harry’s memoir or their joint Netflix series.
Nicholl added, “We could be prepared to see the king’s ruthless side. Charles is not going to stand back and let his family or the institution or the reputation of the crown — which is everything to him— be tarnished. Certainly not by two members of the family.”
