HOW DARE THEY?
Anger as US cartoon cruelly mocks late duke over his age
A US cartoon mocking the Royal Family provoked fresh fury yesterday over scenes which depict Prince Philip as vacant and drooling.
Satirical show The Prince was condemned as being in bad taste and ‘very insensitive’, with the Duke of Edinburgh having died in April aged 99.
There has already been anger at the way the HBO Max series, aimed at an adult audience, has made children the target of most of the mockery.
It has focused on Prince George, portraying the eight-year-old as a foul-mouthed and tyrannical child with expensive tastes
But the depiction of Philip has upset many viewers. Producers delayed the airing of the 12-part series from the spring following his death but declined to remove scenes mocking him. He is shown eating pureed food and collapsing to the floor.
In one scene, he gasps at the dinner table and George tells an aide to ‘get the defibrillators ready’.
Dickie Arbiter, former press secretary to the Queen, said: ‘That is very insensitive particularly as the memory of Prince Philip’s death is just a few short months away.
‘The whole thing is in bad taste. They call it satire but there’s nothing satirical about it. Would they do the same sort of thing for an American president and his or her family? They wouldn’t get away with it.’
One viewer tweeted: ‘I’m no Royal Family fan or anything, but seeing as Prince Philip has passed away, the way he’s portrayed on The Prince on HBO is a little upsetting.’ Another replied: ‘Prince Philip lost his family home as a young boy, fought against the Nazi regime and gave a lifetime of service. Very sad to see him portrayed this way.’
The Prince was created by Family Guy producer Gary Janetti. It stars Orlando Bloom voicing Prince Harry and Frances de la Tour as the Queen.
It was released last week on HBO Max, a US streaming service. There are not thought to any current plans for a UK release.
Buckingham Palace has declined to comment.