THE Crown Season 5 is 'dangerous' according to one of Britain's top royal experts.
The newest instalment of the hit Netflix drama - which focuses on the reign of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - is full of inaccuracies and makes “uncomfortable viewing”.
Speaking exclusively to GB News, Katie Nicholl, the Royal Editor of Vanity Fair, who has had an early look at Season 5, said: “I've been given some screeners by Netflix. It's really interesting.
"I always think don't be too guided by the critics. The Guardian have slammed it. They say that “it's tired”. They say “it's miscast”, and “that it's really time for this series to disappear”.
The Crown Season 5 has been defended by Netflix as a 'fictional dramatisation'
Netflix/The Crown
"I haven't read a really positive review yet. I have mixed feelings about it. My take on it, and I try and pick out the inconsistencies and the holes and the factual inaccuracies, is that I think there are more in this series than in previous seasons, which is more dangerous."
Speaking to GB News Breakfast with Isabel Webster and Stephen Dixon, Katie continued: “I come away from it feeling uncomfortable, having watched it, which I didn't feel like in the previous series. In previous seasons it felt like there was enough distance, but this just feels too raw, feels too close to the bone."
Praising the way Elizabeth Debicki portrays Diana, Katie added: “I mean, you are constantly double-taking. She's actually thinner than Diana, which is almost impossible, she is incredibly statuesque, but she is brilliant. I mean, she's clearly watched videos and has made sure that she's done her research.
"I think Imelda Staunton also does a pretty good job of the Queen actually. But people should tune in and make up their own minds.”
The new season of The Crown will be released tomorrow. It comes just weeks after the Queen’s death and will revisit one of the most uncomfortable periods of Her Majesty’s 70-year reign.
Last month John Major branded a scene, which suggested Prince Charles had asked him to help force his mother’s abdication, as “ barrel load of malicious nonsense”. This scene, in particular, is regarded by many within Buckingham Palace as having the potential to damage the new King’s reputation, at a time where his popularity has never been so high.
Royal aides are also worried about the scenes which will re-enact Diana’s now infamous interview with Martin Bashir. The Prince of Wales has previously told how he believes his mother’s words were fuelled by the paranoia instilled on her by Mr Bashir, and should therefore "never be aired again".
Many senior figures in the royal household are said to be deeply worried by the release of the new series, which is the first to be released after both the death of Prince Philip on 9 April 2021 and the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022.
A Netflix spokesman said: "Season 5 of The Crown is a fictional dramatisation, imagining what could have happened behind closed doors during a significant decade for the royal family - one that has already been scrutinised and well-documented by journalists, biographers and historians."
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