London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

People Are Amused That The UK Government Wants Netflix To Warn Viewers That "The Crown" Is Fictional

People Are Amused That The UK Government Wants Netflix To Warn Viewers That "The Crown" Is Fictional

"Absolutely seething this morning to discover that The Crown isn’t a fly-on-the-wall documentary. Thanks Netflix."


The UK's culture secretary Oliver Dowden is asking Netflix to warn viewers that The Crown is fictional so that younger audiences may not mistake the events portrayed in the historical drama on the Royal Family as fact.

'It's a beautifully produced work of fiction, so as with other TV productions, Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just that,' Dowden told The Mail on Saturday. "Without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact," he said.

Dowden said he was going to write a letter to Netflix to request them to put a "health warning" at the beginning of every episode to make it clear that the show was a work of fiction, the Daily Mail reported.

Dowden's move comes amid a wave of criticism from British news media and Royal Family chroniclers that some of the show's scenes and major plot lines have been invented and are inaccurate and damaging to the Royal Family.

The most controversial among these is The Crown's portrayal of Prince Charles' and Lady Diana Spencer's marriage and the suggestion that Charles' affair with his now-wife Camilla Parker Bowles continued throughout his marriage to Diana.


Penny Junor, who has written biographies of Charles and Diana, told the New York Times that the show's problematic depiction of Charles would taint his ascension to the throne.

"It is wonderful television,” Junor said. "It is beautifully acted — the mannerisms are perfect. But it is fiction, and it is very destructive."

Netflix has declined to comment so far, but the Guardian cited a source saying that it had been widely reported that The Crown was a drama based on real-life events.

Some, like ITV News' Royal Editor Chris Ship, agreed with the culture secretary's concerns.


But many others, including historians, were bemused by the UK government's focus on a Netflix drama and poked fun at the idea that people needed a warning to understand that the show was a fictionalized account of the Royal Family.








As one historian noted, "historical dramas are not meant to be accurate descriptions of what happened."


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×