Since premiering on Netflix in 2016, The Crown has captured the hearts and minds of audiences around the world, with millions tuning in for a dramatised look inside the real-life reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Whilst the six Emmy award-winning seasons do take inspiration from the real-life political and personal events that shaped her late majesty’s reign, it does still fictionalise many private moments that may or may not have taken place behind closed doors.
WATCH NOW: The Crown Season Six Trailer. Article continues after video.
Given this, and the rehashing of previous scandals and heartaches the family faced over the years, it’s easy to wonder just what exactly the royal family thinks about the drama series that has recreated and reanacted many moments from their lives, on a global scale.
Even more curious is whether or not the royal family has ever tuned in for the drama series, and watched themselves characterised on screen by actors and actresses alike.
Scroll on to read everything members of the royal family have said about The Crown…
The Queen
Insider sources (and by that, we mean none other than Prince Philip), confirmed that Her Royal Highness regularly tuned into the series and was in fact in the habit of watching an episode or two every Sunday.
The bombshell revelation came from royal commentator George Jobson, who, during coverage of the Queen’s funeral in September 2022, revealed that her late husband had personally told him his wife watched the show.
Princess Eugenie also confirmed that her beloved grandma was a fan of the show according to actress Vanessa Kirby who played Princess Margaret in seasons one and two.
“A friend of mine was at a party and didn’t know anyone, so he sidled up to this group who were talking about The Crown,” the actress shared with Harper’s Bazaar.
“One girl said, ‘Well, my granny watches it and [she] really likes it.’ It slowly dawned on him that the girl was Princess Eugenie and her granny was the Queen.”
Actor Matt Smith (who portrayed the Duke of Edinburgh in seasons one and two), also heard on the grapevine that the Queen watched the show “on a projector on Sunday night.”
Prince Philip
According to Matt Smith, a close friend happened to sit next to the royal at a dinner, and of course, asked the golden question.
“He turned around to him and went, ‘Don’t be ridiculous,'” Matt shared of the exchange with the Mirror in 2018.
It is also rumoured that the Prince tried to dissuade his wife from watching the show, royal commentator George Jobson again confirming that the late Duke had personally told him that he often attempted to stop his wife from watching the show as he didn’t want to see her upset but how her life and the lives of her family were depicted.
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Princess Anne
In a documentary to celebrate her 70th birthday, the hardest-working royal for 2023 admitted to having watched clips from the show, describing it as “quite interesting.”
Based on this statement, something tells us that the Princess Royal isn’t an avid viewer.
King Charles
The newly minted monarch jokingly alluded to watching The Crown during the state opening of Scottish Parliament in 2022 where he reportedly said: “Hello, nice to meet you all. I’m nowhere near how they portray me on Netflix.”
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Queen Camilla
Ahead of season three, Camilla’s nephew Ben Elliot revealed to Vanity Fair that his aunt had surprisingly enjoyed watching the first two seasons of the show, but that she “wasn’t looking forward to the bits to come,” – presumably her extramarital affair with her future husband.
Arthur Chatto
Speaking directly with the Telegraph, the grandson of Princess Margaret (and great-nephew of the Queen) confirmed that whilst he was a fan of the show, he didn’t let the on-screen drama and “storylines” influence his perspective and relationships with his royal family members.
“Yes, I have watched it,” he said.
“I guess it’s only an interpretation. So I just kind of remember what they’re actually like and don’t let the TV persona mar my judgement of any of them.”
Princess Eugenie
Queen Elizabeth’s third youngest grandchild Princess Eugenie is another member of the royal family who publicly shared her love of the series.
“I did watch a couple [of] episodes of The Crown. It [was] filmed beautifully. The music is wonderful, the story is beautiful,” she shared with the Hello.
“You feel very proud to watch it. I can’t speak for everyone but that’s how I felt when I watched it.”
Sarah Ferguson
Curiously, despite her previous scandals in the spotlight, the Duchess of Cornwall has only had good things to say about The Crown to the press.
“I thought it was filmed beautifully. The cinematography was excellent,” the breast cancer survivor told US Weekly.
“I loved the way they put my wedding in as well,” she added.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have long rumoured to have watched the show together, with royal biographer Katie Nicholl even claiming in her book Harry: Life, Loss, and Love that the couple “enjoyed staying in and eating delicious homemade films and TV shows like The Crown on Netflix.”
Then, in their bombshell sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey, they also confirmed that they had seen parts of the show but didn’t specify how much exactly they had watched.
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“I am way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing stories written about my family or my wife,” Prince Harry also later shared with James Corden during a 2021 appearance on the late-night talk show.
“They don’t pretend to be news, It’s fictional. But it’s loosely based on the truth. Of course, it’s not strictly accurate, but…it gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle, what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that.”
Earl Charles Spencer
The younger brother of Princess Diana famously denied access to Netflix when they requested to film at Althorp, the Spencer family’s estate.
“The worry for me is that people see a program like that and they forget that it is fiction,” he said on ITV’s Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh in 2020.
“They assume, especially foreigners, I find Americans tell me they have watched The Crown as if they have taken a history lesson. Well, they haven’t.”
Ahead of the premiere of season six, the Earl reflected upon the great personal toll of seeing his sister’s tragic death in 1997 play out on screen in a rare interview with BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House.
“I don’t watch The Crown actually. The toll is obviously there. I think people now realise more than even three or four years ago how speculative the storylines are out of The Crown so I think people are aware that this is fiction based on loosely, factual events.”
