We’re only weeks away from the premiere of The Crown Season 5. The Windsors are truly ramping up their Whining Campaign ahead of the premiere. It’s sad, right? The Windsors are worth more than billions (tens of billions) in real estate, jewelry and art, and all they do is sit around, whining about Netflix. There are so many other options for them. Say nothing and act like the dramatization means nothing. Or issue one simple, concise statement of regret and emphasize that The Crown really is a soap opera/dramatization, and that’s it. Instead, King Charles and Prince William are probably going to persuade all of their royal rota buddies to write wall-to-wall pieces about how they’re incandescent with rage and how it’s all so terribly unfair that the Windsors can’t control Netflix.
Speaking of, there was a piece in the Telegraph about William’s incandescence over the dramatization of his mother’s infamous Panorama interview. You know, the one he successfully buried, but only slightly. The BBC will never air Diana’s Panorama interview again, but HBO’s The Princess showed some clips, and obviously The Crown will devote an episode to it too. William has maintained that he believes Diana was “paranoid” and that the interview was a “false narrative” because… Martin Bashir lied to her. While the BBC will never show it again, the interview lives on and all William can do is whine.
The Prince of Wales believes Netflix is profiteering from his mother’s BBC Panorama interview, palace sources have suggested. Parts of the interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, will be depicted in the new series of The Crown as it delves into the “all-out war” caused by the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles.
In May 2021, Prince William said the interview should “never be aired again”. He said it held no legitimacy and had established a false narrative commercialised by the BBC and others for more than 25 years. He also admitted that it brought him “indescribable sadness” that the interview had contributed so significantly to the “fear, paranoia and isolation” his mother felt in the final years of her life.
A source said he had made his feelings about it “very clear” and that a fictional depiction would be “met in the way you would expect”. They added that, given the strong personal statement he had made, one could understand if he was angered about the “dramatisation of it for financial gain”.
Insiders admit that the focus on the fallout from the breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage could not have come at a worse time for the King, whose popularity has surged since his accession. A friend of His Majesty has described the drama as “exploitative” and said Netflix would have “no qualms about mangling people’s reputations”.
This continues to be hilarious to me: This “could not have come at a worse time for the King, whose popularity has surged since his accession.” This is the Tory paper of record admitting the obvious, and admitting the same thing we saw in 2020, when Season 4 aired. Which is that Charles’s popularity is artificially inflated, a mile wide and an inch deep. His “popularity” is so tenuous that it is in danger of being obliterated by ten hours of prestige programming on a streaming service. This is not an in-depth ten-part PBS Frontline series deconstructing the monarchy, it’s a SOAP OPERA (based on historical events). And this soap opera is truly one of the biggest threats to Charles’s reign.
As for William… I actually wonder if he cares that much or if Charles has persuaded William to take up this cause. It’s likely that The Crown’s season 5 & 6 won’t be that damaging to William overall, even though they’ll cover his early courtship with Kate (who stalked him like prey). This feels transactional between William and his father. Either that or Charles has simply manipulated William into this, which is a decent possibility.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Netflix.
Britain’s Prince William, the Prince of Wales and President of the FA, centre, visits England’s national football centre at St. George’s Park to mark its 10th anniversary as the home of English football, in Burton upon Trent, England, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.,Image: 728287524, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: POOL PHOTO, Model Release: no, Credit line: Rui Viera / Avalon 
London, UNITED KINGDOM – The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit the London Bridge Jobcentre and speak to people looking for work in London. Pictured: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge BACKGRID USA 15 SEPTEMBER 2020 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
Prince William, The Prince of Wales during a visit to St. George’s Park in Burton upon Trent to mark its 10th anniversary as the home of English football. Featuring: Prince William Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 05 Oct 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
Prince William, The Prince of Wales during a visit to St. George’s Park in Burton upon Trent to mark its 10th anniversary as the home of English football. Featuring: Prince William Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 05 Oct 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only** 
Earl Spencer leaves after speaking at the Isle of Wight literary festival,Image: 208423546, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no 
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