Why Royal Experts Say Prince Harry's Deal With Netflix Is An Insult To Diana
The fifth season of "The Crown," somewhat controversially, is slated to cover the final years of Princess Diana's life, including her divorce from Prince Charles; her relationships with surgeon Hasnat Khan and Harrods heir Dodi Fayed; and even her infamous "Panorama" interview with Martin Bashir, during which Diana sensationally revealed that there were three people in her marriage to Prince Charles (referring to Camilla Parker-Bowles).
According to The Times, the late royal's long-time friend Jemima Khan was on hand to assist series creator Peter Morgan with some of the more difficult areas of Diana's life. Khan agreed to take part in "The Crown" back in 2019 and has been working on crafting the script outlines with Morgan ever since. Khan had never spoken about her friend publicly up until that point.
However, after deciding that Diana's story wasn't going to be "portrayed accurately," the former Vanity Fair editor stepped down from the project. Khan requested that her "contributions be removed from the series" and even declined a writing credit.
Now, the fact that Diana's friend took a stand is bringing renewed interest to Prince Harry's Netflix deal.
Prince Harry has been criticized for staying quiet
According to The Sun, fresh off the news that Jemima Khan exited "The Crown" due to the alleged mistreatment of Princess Diana's legacy, royal watchers implored Prince Harry to cut ties with Netflix. Khan said that Diana's story wasn't being "told as respectfully or compassionately as I had hoped."
The Duke of Sussex has a multimillion-dollar deal with the streaming giant, and he's being pressured to, at the very least, publicly criticize the company. Royal author Angela Levin, who penned "Harry: A Biography of a Prince," pointed out how "Harry has remained absolutely silent about Netflix." She argued: "He should tear the deal up and make a stand for his mother." As far as Levin is concerned, Diana's legacy is more important than money.
Season 5 of "The Crown" drops in 2022 and will detail some of the most difficult moments of Diana's life. Several of her friends have already raised concerns about how the series will handle the final years of the beloved royal's life — as well as her tragic death.
"I don't think Harry gets it," said Majesty magazine editor Ingrid Seward. "I presume when he did the deal with Netflix he didn't think it through — but Meghan would have, she's not an idiot." She continued: "He talked about 'The Crown' during his bus interview with James Corden, so he's not totally oblivious."
The streaming service previously came under fire for the allegedly "degrading" "Diana: The Musical," too.