Netflix Won’t Add a Fiction Warning to “The Crown”

Even after the UK government urged for a disclaimer.

Last week, UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden made waves when he urged Netflix to include a fiction warning at the beginning of every episode of The Crown as some scenes were considered to be exaggerated, false and even damaging to the royal family.

Mr Dowden told the Daily Mail that he believed the show was a beautiful work of fiction, but he was worried that viewers would interpret the themes as fact.

The UK government’s main concern falls with the representation of Prince Charles (Josh O’ Connor) and his marriage with Lady Diana Spencer (Emma Corrin), as Season 4 focuses heavily on their tumultuous relationship.

Despite the requests for a disclaimer, Netflix has responded by essentially saying a hard "no". 

The streaming service told Deadline that their viewers have always known the series is a drama and there’s no need for any disclaimer.

"We have always presented The Crown as a drama—and we have every confidence our members understand it’s a work of fiction that’s broadly based on historical events," Netflix said.

"As a result, we have no plans—and see no need—to add a disclaimer."

While the streaming service has decided against including a fiction warning, they have included trigger warnings for images and references of disordered eating behaviour for some scenes featuring Princess Diana.

Other than publicly urging Netflix to add a disclaimer, Dowden apparently sent a private letter to the streaming service requesting that they make the change, however, it appears that they have not yet responded.

While it seems that screenwriter and creator of the show Peter Morgan agrees with Netflix, some members of the cast are on the side of the UK government.

Helena Bonham Carter, who plays Princess Margaret in the series, has said that it’s Netflix’s "moral responsibility" to clear up the confusion and say that it’s a drama instead of a doco.

Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer has also expressed concern about the representation of the series.

"I think it would help The Crown an enormous amount if, at the beginning of each episode, it stated that, ‘This isn’t true, but it is based around some real events,'" he told ITV.

"I worry people do think that this is gospel and that’s unfair."

Header Image: Netflix