Crowned rules?

"I live with bread like you, feel want, taste grief, need friends: subjected thus, How can you say to me, I am a king?"

A stirring scene from The Crown's third season sees a young, then-Prince Charles emotionally quoting this extract from Shakespeare's Richard II. The extract's message is clear: "I am as human as you, so why do you not treat me like a human?"

Netflix's show The Crown depicts the British monarchy's inner workings, and humanises its characters. Many critics say it humanises them too much, making things public which should remain private. It has stirred much controversy for its on-screen depiction of the Royal family's inner conflicts and speculationGuessing. about their secrets.

Now, with a new season coming soon, the show is facing more backlash. It has even been criticised by a former British prime minister.¹ The outcry has led to the postponement of a Netflix documentary about the controversy surrounding the marriage of Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle.

The documentary, which was meant to follow the release of the fifth season of The Crown this November, has been pushed back to next year.

It seems that Netflix bosses are rattled. The show is still a big moneymaker. After huge losses in Netflix's revenueIncome. this year, some think their content is becoming too risky.²

Many see it as unethical to write fictional narratives about living people. Others argue that we do this every day in the press.

For the creator of the show, Peter Morgan, it should be obvious that the storylines from the series are fictionalised. "Sometimes you have to forsakeGive up or abandon. accuracy," he says, "but you must never forsake truth."

Yes: It is dangerous and disrespectful to dehumanise the Royal Family. Every family has its trials and its controversies, and not many of us would be happy with them being aired to millions of people.

No: The Royal Family are paid to be public figures. It is all that we ask of them. Public figures have to accept that they will be open to interpretation by people they do not know.

Or... Parts of the fictionalisation may be unethical, but the popularity of the show represents a public demand for greater transparency from the Royal Family.