The controversial storylines in the new season of The Crown would have "destroyed" the Queen, one of her close friends has claimed.
The fifth season of the Netflix hit is due to be released next month and is set to focus on t he Royal Family during some of its most turbulent times in the early 1990s. One fictional plot that has come under fire is that of a then Prince Charles hatching a plan to get his mother the Queen to abdicate in 1991. Meanwhile, other expected upcoming storylines include the late Prince Philip pursuing an affair and the show re-enacting Princess Diana's infamous Panorama interview with Martin Bashir.
And according to a close friend of the royals - who was at the late Queen's committal service following her funeral last month - the latest series is "vilifying" the royals.
They told the Sunday Times : "I'm horrified by what is going on with Netflix and how they are vilifying the royal family. It is vicious. It's as if they’re trying to destroy the royal family.”
When asked what the Queen would have thought of the upcoming season, the friend added: "It would have destroyed her."
It comes as the latest trailer for The Crown f eatures a disclaimer saying the series is a "fictional dramatisation" and "inspired by real events".
Previous trailers for Netflix’s lavish royal drama have not included this logline and instead offered only a description of the series. The passage appears only on the YouTube description and not in the actual trailer.
However, Netflix already describes the show as a "fictionalised drama" in its press materials, on social media and on The Crown's landing page on its platform.
The passage says: "Inspired by real events, this fictional dramatisation tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign."
It comes after criticism from Dame Judi Dench and Sir John Major over storylines that reportedly feature in the upcoming fifth series.
Stage and screen veteran Dame Judi has called for a disclaimer to be added to each episode of The Crown, saying it has begun to verge on "crude sensationalism".
Sir John is said to have described the forthcoming scenes, which reportedly depict the King, then the Prince of Wales, plotting to oust the Queen, as "malicious nonsense".
A spokeswoman for The Crown previously said: "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."
The programme’s creator, Peter Morgan, also defended the forthcoming series in an interview with US publication Entertainment Weekly published last week.
"I think we must all accept that the 1990s was a difficult time for the royal family, and King Charles will almost certainly have some painful memories of that period," he said.
"But that doesn’t mean that, with the benefit of hindsight, history will be unkind to him, or the monarchy. The show certainly isn't."
