The Crown star Jonathan Pryce has said he feels ‘bitterly disappointed’ in the wake of the criticism the fifth season has received from ‘fellow artistes’.
The comments come after the streamer came under renewed pressure to add a disclaimer at the start of each episode of the historical drama, stating the show is fiction.
The next series of The Crown will dramatise Princess Charles and Princess Diana's separation and the events leading up to her death in Paris in 1997.
Dame Judi Dench is among those who have come out in opposition to the show, accusing the drama of ‘sensationalism’ and suggesting it carries a disclaimer stating it is fictionalised.
However, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor has now addressed the controversy surrounding the upcoming season, ahead of his debut as Prince Phillip.
Pryce has argued that the ‘vast majority’ of The Crown viewers are aware it is a drama after four seasons of the Netflix drama.
Pryce told Deadline that the public criticism of the show ‘came about because of an enhanced sensitivity because of the passing of the Queen’, which co-stars Imelda Staunton and Lesley Manville reportedly agree with.
Pryce also referenced robust criticism from former Prime Minister Sir John Major, who hit out at an apparent storyline in the upcoming series which suggests now-King Charles had a private meeting with Major where they discussed the possibility of Queen Elizabeth II abdicating.
The then-PM said that any suggestions such a conversation happened were ‘a barrel load of nonsense’ to which Pryce said he understood Major ‘voicing his disquiet because he was there’.
However, he then added: “I’m hugely disappointed by my fellow artistes.”
Lesley Manville, who plays Princess Margaret, echoed Pryce’s thoughts, saying: “There is, and for my part as well, a great deal of compassion towards the Queen, and depths of feeling that she is no longer with us. That has certainly heightened it all.”
Imelda Staunton, who plays the late monarch, went on to say: “In a way, it is understandable. It is understandable people still feel a bit like their nerve endings are still a little bit raw.”
She added: “We’re in it so we don’t think it’s undignified. We think it’s honest and true and respectful.
“Peter Morgan’s been writing about the Queen since Helen Mirren [was in The Queen]. He obviously adores this family in many ways, and he’ll show both sides of the characters, for good or for worse. He’ll show them and make no judgement, he’ll leave that up to the audience.”
