Prince Harry has kind words for ‘The Crown’
Even though “The Crown” has presented a sometimes unflattering portrait of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles, Prince Harry defended the Netflix series, saying it’s “fiction,” but it at least gives audiences a “rough idea” about the pressures of royal life.
During a surprise appearance on “The Late Late Show” Thursday, Harry told host James Corden that he prefers the series to stories he has seen written about himself and his wife, Meghan Markle, in the U.K. press.
“They don’t pretend to be news. It’s fictional,” Harry told Corden in what turned out to be a wideranging and mostly lighthearted interview about life in California since moving away from the U.K. and the royal family more than a year ago.
“But (‘The Crown’) is loosely based on the truth,” the Duke of Sussex continued, as the interview took place during an open-air doubledecker bus tour of Los Angeles. “Of course, it’s not strictly accurate, of course not, but loosely it gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle, the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that.
“I’m way more comfortable with ‘The Crown’ than I am seeing the stories written about my family or my wife or myself. Because ... ‘The Crown’ is obviously fiction, take it how you will. But this is being reported on as fact because you’re supposedly news. I have a real issue with that.”
Harry makes a valid point about “The Crown” being fiction, in contrast to the U.K. tabloids offering up stories about the royal family that are purported to be based on fact and reporting. The duke’s critics, though, will wonder if he’s inclined to cut “The Crown” some slack because he and Meghan, a former TV actress, have a multi-million-dollar deal with Netflix to produce documentaries, series and other content.
Harry’s more generous views of “The Crown” also depart from ongoing concerns expressed by people close to the royal family and by British politicians. These concerns grew when Season 4 aired in the fall, and the sprawling historical drama focused on the troubled marriage of Harry’s parents, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana.