Hit Netflix show “The Crown” has recently entered its fourth season and is both a critical and commercial success.
The fictionalized account of the Royal Family’s struggles under Queen Elizabeth II has often played hard and fast with the truth but has doubtless kept fans on the edge of their seat with some interesting portrayals of the Royal Family. Series Four has focused much on the relationship between Charles and Diana, although Gillian Anderson’s depiction of Margaret Thatcher did offer some respite from an often-challenging plotline.
Few of the characters come out of the series well, whether Royals or the ancillary faces such as the Prime Minister. Prince Andrew is one of the most recent to be caricatured on-screen with clever scripting, the plot briefly flirting with current affairs in a historical context to poke fun at the banished Royal.
Another Royal in exile, Prince Harry, might have feared how he would come out of a later series of the show, but the youngest son of Charles and Diana will not have to suffer as the others have, if reports are to be believed. Prince Harry always had a good reputation with the British public, and his relationship announcement with Megan Markle was ranked by Gala Bingo as one of the best moments of 2016. Since then, some aspects of that relationship have soured as he gave up his Royal standing and left the country, having now settled in Los Angeles.
Along with his wife Megan, Harry has recently signed a deal with Netflix for them to produce a fly-on-the-wall documentary about their lives, which has drawn criticism from many observers, according to Insider. Given the often-insensitive storyline surrounding his parents, and the negative light it paints them in, it is thought by some at least, Harry is besmirching them for his own ends.
However, in signing the Netflix deal, Harry and Megan have one stipulation; that the show comes to an end before the timeline draws level with their own turmoil. Perhaps fearful of how they may be depicted on screen, it seems the show will now not pick up on some current events, which may have the aforementioned Andrew slightly relieved as well.
That suggests that if there are two more seasons of the show left, perhaps the last episodes will deal with Prince William’s marriage to Kate Middleton, drawing a rounded conclusion on what is, in truth, a saga that could go on indefinitely.
One thing is for sure, the Queen’s ‘annus horribilis’ will certainly play a major role in Series Five, as will the tragic passing of Diana, accurately played by rising star Emma Corrin in the recent series. She is likely to be nominated for a number of awards for her role, as many of the other actors and actresses have been before her. Amongst the previous awards the show has picked up include a Golden Globe in 2017 for Claire Foy as Best Actress and one for the show as Best Television Series, and another in 2020 for Olivia Coleman for the same role.
