The late Duke of Edinburgh “wanted to sue” The Crown for how the show portrayed his sister’s death.
Prince Philip reportedly consulted a law firm over a “false” portrayal of himself in the Netflix show that left him “deeply upset”.
Royal historian and author Hugo Vickers told The Sunday Times: “I know Prince Philip consulted his lawyer about it, to ask ‘What can I do about it?’
“He was very upset about the way that was portrayed. He was human. He could be hurt like anybody else.”
The plot in question features in the second to last episode of the second season of the show, which charts Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, and includes fictional scenes about a 16-year-old Philip being involved in an incident at his boarding school that means he can’t join his family in Germany for half-term break.
A consequence of this, on the show, is that Philip’s sister Cecilie, who is pregnant with her fourth child, says she will be forced to fly to London to attend a wedding with her family.
In the show, Cecilie was shown being killed in a plane crash, something that did happen in real life. The 26-year-old was killed in a plane crash in 1937 along with her husband and their two young sons when their plane hit a chimney during foggy weather in Ostend, Belgium.
Cecilie had given birth during the flight as her baby’s body was found alongside her in the plane’s wreckage.
In the depiction of the funeral on the show, Philip and Cecilie’s father says to Philip as he arrives to the funeral: “I’m surprised he dare show himself here. Had it not been for Philip and his indiscipline she would never have taken that flight. It’s true, isn’t it boy? You’re the reason we’re all here burying my favourite child. Get him out of here.”
In real life Cecilie’s decision to fly back to London had nothing to do with Philip, and a source told the publication that Philip was “so upset” that this is how the incident was portrayed in The Crown.
Vickers added that, in the end, Philip decided not to pursue legal action.
