Reliving memories in Netflix’s new season of The Crown will be “incredibly hard" for Prince Harry and Prince William, claims royal expert

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published 22 October 2022

A royal expert has claimed that issues covered in season five of Netflix series 'The Crown' will hit close to home for Prince Harry and Prince William.

Season five of royal drama The Crown will cover some of Prince Harry and Prince William's most difficult childhood moments, including King Charles III and Princess Diana's divorce and the death of their mother, Princess Diana
The latest comment in a series of backlash against the show, a royal expert has claimed that The Crown will be "quite uncomfortable viewing" for the princes
The royal news follows a statement released by Netflix defending The Crown ahead of the release of season five amid backlash over the royal drama

The latest season of Netflix's hit royal drama, The Crown, is set to hit the streaming service on the 9th of November and, while royal fans wait in anticipation, plenty of royal experts have spoken out against the show's portrayal and dramatisation of still sensitive royal tragedies.

The issues covered in season five have drawn more attention than those covered in previous seasons as, this time around, the topics are more fresh in the minds of royals and royal fans alike.

Katie Nicholl, author of The New Royals which is available now on Amazon, explains that, since season five covers King Charles and Princess Diana's divorce, as well as the death of Princess Diana, who is played by Elizabeth Debicki, Princes William and Harry are certain to have feelings about it all.

Talking to Entertainment Tonight, she said, "I think this series is going to be quite uncomfortable viewing, not just for Camilla and [King] Charles but also for William and Harry. Scenes leading up to their mother's death are going to be very, very uncomfortable for them."

The young princes were forced to mourn their mother's death in the public eye, leading both of them to speak out in later life about the tragedy and following impact it had on their lives.

Nicholl said, "This is a period that they had to live out so publicly. We heard Harry talk about the very real impact it's had on his life, and William as well," Nicholl added. "So, for this to sort of be revisited, even if it's done tastefully [...] for this to be brought up all over again is incredibly hard for William and Harry."

Royal or not, the breakdown of your parents marriage and the sudden death of your mother are not subjects anyone wants to see dramatised for television.

To make matters worse for the brothers, The Crown will reportedly include the controversial Panorama interview Diana took part in before her death, an interview that Prince William has made his views very clear about.

In May 2021, Prince William issued a statement condemning the interview in which he said it should “never be aired again”. The Prince shared that the interview brought him “indescribable sadness” and had contributed to his mother’s sense of “fear, paranoia and isolation”.

According to The Express, Palace sources have suggested that William feels that Netflix is 'profiteering from the dramatisation and exploitation of his mother’s struggles.'

Nicholl concludes, "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.

"Those early [seasons] felt like there was enough history, felt like there was enough distance. But this just feels uncomfortably close."

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Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is a news writer for Goodtoknow, specialising in family content. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.