The most recent series details the demise of Harry's parents' relationship. Photo / Netflix
If you’ve ever wondered whether the royal family tunes into the Netflix series about them, the answer is yes - for Prince Harry at least.
The Duke of Sussex, 38, has told how he has seen some of the older series of The Crown and the “more recent stuff” on the controversial series, a fictional dramatisation which began with the coronation of Harry’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth and tracks her family’s story, inspired by real events.
In the prince’s latest interview to promote his memoir, Spare, US late night talk show host Stephen Colbert asked if he had watched the show.
Harry replied: “Yes, I have watched The Crown.
”The older stuff and the more recent stuff.”
Quizzed on whether he did any “fact-checking” while watching, he added:
”Yes, I do actually. Which, by the way, is another reason why it’s so important that history has it right,” he said on Colbert’s The Late Show, and pointed to a copy of his new memoir.
The Crown has come under criticism from several figures, including former British Prime Minister Sir John Major, who branded elements of the series a “barrel-load of nonsense”.
Dame Judi Dench also called for a “fiction” warning to be put on episodes after branding it an “inaccurate and hurtful account of history”.
Netflix has since agreed to put a disclaimer on the homepage alerting viewers to the fact it is fictional. However, the streaming giant is yet to go as far as including it at the start of every episode.
Recently, Elizabeth Debicki - who plays Harry’s late mother Princess Diana in series five - insisted the show is “clearly fictional”.
She said: “I understand what the show is, and what it’s trying to do. I also understand the reaction to it.
”I think this is a period of time that’s been told many times over and will continue to be told, and I know the degree of care and respect people enter into these stories with.
”I mean, it is clearly fictional. I feel like audiences know that, because there are actors, playing parts. I never watched The Crown and thought, this is a documentary, or this is obviously true.”