The Crown: Netflix defends show after Sir John Major criticism

Jonny Lee Miller will play then Prime Minister John Major in the forthcoming fifth series of The Crown

Netflix has defended The Crown as a "fictional dramatisation" following criticism of its forthcoming series.

Sir John Major told The Mail on Sunday that a scene which apparently depicts a plot to oust the late Queen was "a barrel-load of malicious nonsense".

The scene is said to include a conversation between the former prime minister and Prince Charles, as he was then, about the Queen abdicating.

Sir John's office told the newspaper there was never any such discussion.

"Sir John has not co-operated in any way with The Crown. Nor has he ever been approached by them to fact-check any script material in this or any other series," a statement from his office read.

"As you will know, discussions between the monarch and prime minister are entirely private and - for Sir John - will always remain so. But not one of the scenes you depict are accurate in any way whatsoever. They are fiction, pure and simple."

'Nonsense on stilts'

However, a spokeswoman for The Crown defended the show, saying: "The Crown has always been presented as a drama based on historical events.

"Series five 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."

Sir John Major, pictured in 2021, described a plot depicted in The Crown as "a barrel-load of malicious nonsense"

The latest season will focus on the tumultuous early 1990s, which saw Prince Charles and Princess Diana separate.

Sir Malcom Rifkind, foreign secretary under Sir John, also criticised the popular drama, telling The Mail on Sunday that the scene featuring Sir John and Prince Charles was "pathetic and absurd", while broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, a friend of the King, said: "The Crown is full of nonsense, but this is nonsense on stilts."

The new series is released on Netflix on 9 November and is expected to show Prince Charles (played by Dominic West) cutting short a holiday with Diana, Princess of Wales to host a secret meeting with Sir John (Jonny Lee Miller), at his private residence, Highgrove, in 1991.

Imelda Staunton comes on board as the latest actress to play the late Queen, following in the footsteps of Claire Foy and Olivia Colman.

Some figures have defended The Crown's fictional interpretation of events.

According to The Times, Robert Harris, the historical fiction author and former journalist, said: "I take a kind of heretical view in that I think The Crown has done the royal family nothing but good in some ways."

Speaking at the Cliveden Literary Festival, he added: "Nobody really takes it literally, do they? I'm not sure that they do."

Dominic West will portray Prince Charles, as he was known then, for seasons five and six, following on from Josh O'Connor

Prince Harry has also said it gave a rough idea of what living as a Royal was like.

He told James Corden in an interview last year: "They [The Crown] don't pretend to be news. It's fictional. But it's loosely based on the truth. 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."

Netflix has previously stated that it will not warn viewers of The Crown that some scenes are fictional.

Responding to calls for a warning from the then Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden in 2020, the streaming giant said the series has always been billed as a drama.

"As a result we have no plans, and see no need, to add a disclaimer," it said.

However, a tagline on the Netflix show's home page reads: "Based on historical events, this series dramatises the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that have shaped her reign."

Mr Dowden said younger viewers "may mistake fiction for fact" when watching the fourth series, which showed the breakdown of the marriage between the then Prince and Princess of Wales.

Filming on the sixth series of The Crown was briefly suspended as a mark of respect after the Queen's death. It was also halted on the day of her funeral.

But there was consternation from some quarters about the fifth series being released two months after Her Majesty's death.

Loose Women presenter Brenda Edwards were among the figures suggesting it should have been delayed as a mark of respect.