Buckingham Palace is reportedly ‘concerned’ as the release of The Crown’s fifth season on Netflix promises ‘all out war’ between King Charles III and Princess Diana.
Buckingham Palace is said to be seeking to protect the reputation of the new King after Netflix decided not to postpone the release of the hit TV drama following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
A senior royal source stressed that The Crown is ‘a drama not a documentary’ as the show is set to prove uncomfortable viewing for the Palace, the Telegraph reports.
A spokesman for the streaming giant also confirmed that the series had been completed prior to the Queen’s death and no changes have been made to it since.
The bitter divorce of the then Prince and Princess of Wales will be the centrepiece of the 10-part series, which drops on the streaming platform on November 9.
The series will cover the events of the 1990s, including King Charles’s interview with Jonathan Dimbleby, which saw him admit to an affair with the then Camilla Parker Bowles, and Diana’s infamous Panorama interview.
The Netflix hit will also cover what the late Queen described as her ‘annus horribilis’ in 1992, when both Prince Charles and Prince Andrew separated from their wives and Windsor Castle partly burnt down.
Netflix’s historical drama premiered its first teaser trailer at the streaming giant’s fan event Tudum on Sunday, giving fans a glimpse of Dominic West as the monarch-to-be and Elizabeth Debicki as the late Princess of Wales.
The trailer shows Diana and Charles amid their bitter split, as they both prepare for explosive TV interviews about their relationship.
In the teaser, a voiceover reads Buckingham Palace’s original statement when the couple split in 1992, ahead of their divorce in 1996.
“It is with regret that the Prince and Princess of Wales are separating,” the voiceover reads before a news bulletin announces: “There’s uproar in Britain after Prince Charles bared his soul to the nation, but the Princess of Wales upstaged her husband speaking about her marriage, her life and her future.”
Fellow newsreaders are then heard speaking over one another in a cacophony to represent the intense press surrounding the former couple.
The voices then culminate to say: “This is becoming an all-out war,” amid shots of King Charles and Princess Diana having their make-up done ahead of TV interviews.
The Crown returns to Netflix on November 9.
