The Crown (TV series)

=== Historical accuracy ===
The series has been criticised for its depiction of historical events, particularly from the fourth season onwards.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hogan |first=Michael |date=17 November 2023 |title='Royally lost the plot': how The Crown went from prestige drama to TV disaster |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/nov/17/royally-lost-the-plot-how-the-crown-went-from-prestige-drama-to-tv-disaster |access-date=26 November 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The programme's historical consultant, Robert Lacey, has stated that "there are two sorts of truth. There's historical truth and then there's the larger truth about the past" and that "when history gets departed from, it's not done casually. It's done on the basis of wanting to convey a particular message that can only be conveyed by invention."<ref name="a29873503">{{Cite news|url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a29873503/the-crown-netflix-tv-show-accuracy/|title=Is The Crown Accurate? The Answer Is Complicated|last=Hallemann|first=Caroline|date=23 November 2019|work=Town and Country|access-date=26 November 2019|archive-date=28 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128010033/https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a29873503/the-crown-netflix-tv-show-accuracy/|url-status=live}}</ref> An example of such a departure is the season one plot in which the Queen and the government oppose Princess Margaret's desire to marry Peter Townsend, which would have required the monarch's permission under the [[Royal Marriages Act 1772]]; in reality a plan was made to amend the Act to allow the marriage while removing Margaret and her children from the line of succession.<ref name="BBCMag38032464">{{cite news |first=Paul |last=Reynolds |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38032464 |title=Did the Queen stop Princess Margaret marrying Peter Townsend? |work=[[BBC News]] |date=19 November 2016 |access-date=19 November 2016 |archive-date=19 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119051532/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38032464 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The fourth season was criticised in the UK press as "inaccurate" and "anti-monarchy".<ref>{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Zoe |date=26 November 2019 |title=The Crown: shameless royal propaganda – or an insult to the monarchy? |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/shortcuts/2019/nov/26/the-crown-shameless-royal-propaganda-or-an-insult-to-the-monarchy |access-date=20 November 2020}}</ref><ref name="Is The Crown true to life?">{{cite web |last=Vickers |first=Hugo |date=17 November 2020 |title=Is The Crown true to life? A royal expert's analysis of season 4 |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/is-the-crown-true-to-life-season-4-episodes-hwxzkdsm3 |access-date=19 November 2020 |work=The Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Heffer |first=Simon |date=20 November 2020 |title=The Royal family are right to be furious about The Crown – this series is a disgrace |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/royal-family-right-furious-the-crown-this-series-disgrace/ |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 November 2020 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/royal-family-right-furious-the-crown-this-series-disgrace/ |archive-date=10 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref> It was described as "fake history" by [[Simon Jenkins]] in ''[[The Guardian]]'',<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jenkins |first=Simon |date=16 November 2020 |title=The Crown's fake history is as corrosive as fake news {{!}} Simon Jenkins |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/16/the-crown-fake-history-news-tv-series-royal-family-artistic-licence |access-date=17 November 2020 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> and the royal biographer [[Sally Bedell Smith]] stated that "because ''The Crown'' is such a lavish and expensive production, so beautifully acted and cleverly written, and so much attention has been paid to visual details about historical events, viewers are tricked into believing that what they are seeing actually happened".<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Miller |first1=Julie |date=18 November 2020 |title=Why The Crown Season 4's Prince Charles Appalls Royal Experts |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/11/the-crown-season-4-prince-charles |magazine=Vanity Fair |access-date=21 November 2020}}</ref> The British culture secretary, [[Oliver Dowden]], and the actress [[Judi Dench]] both suggested that the series should have a fiction warning at the beginning as a disclaimer.<ref>{{cite web |last=Arkin |first=Daniel |date=30 November 2020 |title=Netflix needs to make clear 'The Crown' is fictional, British culture minister says |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/tv/netflix-needs-make-clear-crown-fictional-british-culture-minister-says-n1249397 |access-date=30 November 2020 |publisher=NBC News}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=20 October 2022 |title=Judi Dench diz que 'The Crown' faz 'sensacionalismo bruto' e pede medidas à Netflix |url=https://f5.folha.uol.com.br/celebridades/2022/10/judi-dench-diz-que-the-crown-faz-sensacionalismo-bruto-e-pede-medidas-a-netflix.shtml |access-date=21 October 2022 |website=F5 |language=pt-BR}}</ref> In October 2022 Netflix added a disclaimer to the series's title synopsis page on its website and to the [[YouTube]] description of the trailer for season five, which describes it as a "fictional dramatisation" that was "inspired by real events".<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Glynn |first1=Paul |last2=Bushby |first2=Helen |date=21 October 2022 |title=Netflix adds disclaimer under The Crown's trailer for series five |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63341010 |access-date=23 October 2022 |work=BBC |language=en}}</ref>

The accuracy of the series has been criticised by some of the individuals and institutions portrayed. [[Gordonstoun]] School responded to its negative portrayal by claiming that Prince Charles's personal feedback to the school had been overwhelmingly positive.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{cite news|title=Colditz in kilts? Charles loved it, says old school as Gordonstoun hits back at The Crown|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/10/prince-charles-school-hits-back-crown-colditz-kilts-portrayal/|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|author=Rudgard, Olivia|access-date=28 April 2018|date=10 December 2017|archive-date=20 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620040626/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/10/prince-charles-school-hits-back-crown-colditz-kilts-portrayal/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Michael Fagan]], whose intrusion into the Queen's bedroom while she slept is depicted in season four, has said that his conversation with the Queen was "short, polite and non-controversial", and that he never spoke about Margaret Thatcher as he is shown doing in the series.<ref name="Tel">{{cite web |last1=Mount |first1=Harry |date=22 November 2020 |title=How accurate is season 4 of The Crown? |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/crown-season-4-netflix-princess-diana-prince-charles-truth-facts/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/crown-season-4-netflix-princess-diana-prince-charles-truth-facts/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |access-date=16 November 2020 |website=telegraph.co.uk |publisher=Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The former [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|prime ministers]] [[John Major]] and [[Tony Blair]] publicly criticised the series; Blair's spokesman described the first episode of the season five, where in 1991 Prince Charles is portrayed attempting to recruit John Major and Tony Blair to support the Queen's abdication in favour of him, as "complete and utter rubbish".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.sky.com/story/the-crown-lord-heseltine-praises-john-major-and-tony-blair-for-speaking-out-against-latest-series-of-show-12739160|title=The Crown: Lord Heseltine praises John Major and Tony Blair for speaking out against latest series of show|work=Sky News|date=5 November 2022|accessdate=6 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20221104-the-crown-series-5-review-gripping-but-badly-told-soap|title=The Crown series 5 review: 'Gripping, but badly-told soap'|work=BBC|first=Hugh|last=Montgomery|date=5 November 2022|accessdate=6 November 2022}}</ref> Major stated that no such conversation took place, and that the scene was "a barrel-load of malicious nonsense".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63283024|title=The Crown: Netflix defends show after Sir John Major criticism|work=BBC|first=Emma|last=Saunders|date=17 October 2022|accessdate=17 October 2022}}</ref> Conversely, during a 2021 appearance on ''[[The Late Late Show with James Corden]]'', [[Prince Harry]] stated that he was comfortable with ''The Crown''{{'}}s portrayal of the royal family, noting that, while as a work of fiction it is "not strictly accurate", it does give a "rough idea" of the pressures of "putting duty and service above family and everything else".<ref>{{cite news |last=Davies |first=Caroline |date=26 February 2021 |title=Prince Harry defends Netflix's The Crown in James Corden interview |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/feb/26/prince-harry-netflix-the-crown-james-corden-interview-meghan |access-date=26 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ramachandran |first=Naman |date=26 February 2021 |title=Prince Harry Talks 'The Crown,' Stepping Back From Royalty, on Bus Tour With James Corden |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/global/prince-harry-james-corden-the-crown-1234916059/ |access-date=26 February 2021}}</ref>