Veteran royal biographer Hugo Vickers has made a startling claim that a "disgraceful" scene in Netflix's The Crown left Prince Philip so deeply upset that he raised the matter with his legal advisors. Speaking on the Daily Mail's Palace Authorised podcast, Vickers, who has written about the royal family for over six decades and met the late Queen Elizabeth II more than forty times, described the popular series as a "fundamentally dishonest" depiction of the monarchs.
A Personal History of the Crown
Vickers, whose new book Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History blends extensive research with personal recollections, argued that the show's creators consistently disregard historical accuracy. He emphasized that the engaging performances and well-crafted scripts make the fictionalized portrayals dangerously convincing for millions of viewers, who often accept them as factual accounts.
The Most Egregious Fabrication
The most troubling example, according to Vickers, occurs in the first season and concerns the tragic 1937 plane crash that killed Princess Cecilie of Greece, Prince Philip's sister. "They tried to blame Prince Philip for the death of his own sister," Vickers stated. The scene in question depicts a young Philip getting into a physical altercation at Gordonstoun school, leading to his half-term cancellation. This fictional event supposedly causes his sister to fly to Darmstadt, Germany, where she perishes in the crash.
"In reality, there was no punch-up at Gordonstoun," Vickers clarified. "He would never have gone to Darmstadt. Philip's father actually came to Britain to take him home after the crash." The biographer revealed that Prince Philip was "extremely upset" by this portrayal. Vickers himself intervened by recounting the true story on BBC Radio 4's Today program, which Philip heard and found somewhat reassuring. However, the distress was significant enough that "he did go to his lawyers about it."
Allegations of Republican Sentiment
Vickers further alleged that the makers of The Crown harbor Republican leanings, which he believes are most evident in the final season exploring the Queen's later years. He pointed to a scene where the character of Prince Philip, portrayed by Jonathan Pryce, tells Imelda Staunton's Queen Elizabeth in St George's Chapel that "the game is up" and the monarchy is "shot through."
"That is what the creators were trying to say," Vickers argued. "That is what the whole series was luring people into. Unfortunately, The Crown has become the accepted version of events, which is absolutely disgraceful." The biographer's full interview is available on the Palace Confidential podcast and YouTube, offering deeper insights into his criticisms of the series' historical inaccuracies and their impact on public perception of the royal family.
