On YouTube and the show’s site, the disclaimer is present beneath the trailer, but not on television or via the Netflix app on a smartphone. In a statement, Netflix said the program “has always been portrayed as a drama based on historical events.”
Dame Judi Dench and the late Sir John Major, who served as prime minister, have voiced their concerns over the royal series’ accuracy.
The series is described as “Inspired by real events, this fictional dramatization tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign” on Twitter, YouTube, and online.
Similar language has been used in press releases previously, but the phrase “fictional” has never appeared in a YouTube trailer before.
This week, Dame Judi joined a growing list of prominent people who have demanded that The Crown include a disclaimer at the beginning of each episode to make it clear that the show is not necessarily true.
The close friend of the King and Queen Consort, the actress, claimed that Netflix “seems willing to blur the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism.” There was a chance that “a significant number of viewers” would take the events as historical fact, she continued.
The Oscar winner, who has represented Queen Victoria on screen, claimed that the suggestions made in the next series were “cruelly unjust to the individuals and damaging to the institution they represent,” especially because they would be made soon after the Queen’s death.
