The Crown Season 5 Reportedly Has Buckingham Palace “Concerned”

The much anticipated release of The Crown's fifth and penultimate season is set for November 9. Following the recent death of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Netflix has decided not to delay the release of the series, despite its coverage of a difficult decade for the Royal Family. Now, according to the Telegraph, Buckingham Palace is aiming to protect the reputation of King Charles III as the streaming platform prepares to dramatize the “all out war” of his marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales. 

As per the paper, royal sources stressed on Sunday that The Crown is “a drama not a documentary” and that much of its content is fictionalized or exaggerated. Producers have revealed that the series was completed before the Queen’s death and that no subsequent changes have been made.

The new season will take viewers through the 1990s, one of the most tumultuous eras for the late monarch and her son: in 1992 a section of Windsor castle was ravaged by fire, the same year that King Charles III announced his separation from Diana; the Queen went on to describe the period as her “annus horribilis” or “year of misfortune.” In 1996, Charles and Diana would divorce, as would Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York. A year on, the nation was flung into a period of mourning following Princess Diana's untimely death.

The palace is reportedly concerned with the televised coverage of these topics, given Charles's recent accession to the throne and his surge in popularity since becoming British sovereign. Over the weekend, a trailer for the series was aired, showing the then Prince Charles, played by Dominic West, and Princess Diana, played by Elizabeth Debicki, preparing for “explosive” TV interviews about their “broken marriage.”

The interviews are presumed to be retellings of Charles's 1994 interview with Jonathan Dimbleby, in which he admitted to committing adultery with the then Camilla Parker Bowles (now Queen Consort), and Diana's infamous 1995 Panorama interview with Martin Bashir. 

The series will also cover Sir John Major's time as British Prime Minister as well as Sir Tony Blair’s election as his successor. The death of Princess Diana will be covered in the sixth installment of the series, which is set to be released next year. West and Debicki will continue their portrayal of the couple in the final season having taken over the roles from Emma Corrin and Josh O'Connor, who played the duo during the show's fourth series.