Royal biographer brands Netflix's 'The Crown' an 'absolute disgrace filled with lies'

Producers have been accused of failing to do enough to tell viewers the show is fictional

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, now King Charles III, with William Shawcross, who wrote a biography of the Queen Mother. Getty

A biographer for the UK royal family has accused the producers of Netflix series The Crown of waging a “campaign of abuse” against the monarchy and called the show an “absolute disgrace”.

William Shawcross, the official biographer for the Queen Mother, added his voice to the chorus of those criticising how the The Crown had portrayed recent historical events.

He said the depictions were inaccurate and “deliberately hurtful” to members of the royal family and public servants.

His condemnation came after Sir John Major, a former UK prime minister, criticised the depiction of an encounter between him and Prince Charles, who is now King Charles III.

In a letter to The Telegraph, Mr Shawcross said The Crown was an “odious series, filled with lies and half-truths encased in lace and velvet”.

“It is astonishingly and deliberately hurtful to individual members of the royal family and public servants who cannot answer back, let alone sue for damages,” he said.

He accused the producers of conducting a “campaign to abuse dedicated and cherished public servants” and trying to “destroy by lies” Britain’s monarchy, a move he called “an absolute disgrace”.

Mr Shawcross said the admiration the public had for the late Queen Elizabeth II, as demonstrated by the crowds at her funeral, “means nothing to” the people behind the popular Netflix series.

Sir John criticised The Crown for its latest season, which includes a scene in which Prince Charles tells the prime minister that his mother should abdicate so he can become king.

Sir John has denied such a conversation ever happened.

“Sir John has not co-operated in any way with The Crown,” a spokesman for the former prime minister told The Mail on Sunday.

“Nor has he ever been approached by them to fact-check any script material in this or any other series.

“There was never any discussion between Sir John and the then Prince of Wales about any possible abdication of the late Queen Elizabeth II.”

A spokesman for Sir John previously told The Times that if the scenes were broadcast “they should be seen as nothing other than damaging and malicious fiction”.

The US streaming company has defended itself before the release of the fifth series of The Crown, which will be available from November 9.

“The Crown has always been presented as a drama based on historical events,” a spokeswoman for show said.

“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 fourth series also drew criticism, with producers facing accusations that not enough was done to inform viewers that the show was a work of fiction.

Oliver Dowden, a former UK culture secretary, called on Netflix to add a disclaimer to episodes.

Although there is no disclaimer, Netflix has given the show a “log line” that describes it as a fictional drama based on historical events.

The Crown is set to extend to a sixth series, after initial plans to end after series five.

Filming was temporarily halted as a mark of respect when the queen died in September.