Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8th of this year, much of the UK has been thrust into a state of mourning and reflection. After all, Queen Elizabeth was the longest-ruling monarch in the country's history, having ushered the empire through the seventy years and the latter half of the 20th century. And in the wake of her death, there has also been renewed scrutiny surrounding media portrayals of the royals and, in particular, of Elizabeth herself. This has been particularly evident in recent controversies surrounding the upcoming fifth season of The Crown, a series that takes a fictional look at Queen Elizabeth's life.

Many of the series' most recent critics have been famous actors such as Dame Judi Dench, who called the series “cruelly unjust to the individuals and damaging to the institution they represent" in an interview with The Times.

However, it looks like some stars of The Crown are pushing back against these accusations. In a Deadline exclusive report, Jonathan Pryce, who is playing Queen Elizabeth's husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in the fifth season, pushed back against his fellow actors who have vocally criticized the series. The actor told Deadline that he was ”bitterly disappointed” by his "fellow artistes,” for publicly critiquing the Netflix series and demanding that it carry a disclaimer.

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Image via Netflix

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It does seem rather out of place that Dame Judi Dench should be so critical of a fictional portrayal of the royals considering the fact that she has played both Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love and Queen Victoria in Mrs. Brown. The famed actress stated recently that she believes the series should feature a statement reaffirming the series' fictional nature before each episode.

Netflix has added a disclaimer to the series description for their latest Season 5 trailer but has not included the message in the trailer itself. Some brewing controversies might stem from the particularly contentious content of Season 5's plot lines, which include the divorce of Prince Charles, now King Charles, and Princess Diana, and her tragic death. Princess Diana's legacy has proven to be a constant shadow over the monarchy, with her treatment by the royals during her lifetime often coming under scrutiny.

Of the calls for statements reaffirming the show's fictional nature, Pryce argued that “the vast majority of people know it’s a drama. They’ve been watching it for four seasons.” Pryce also noted that the recent outbursts attacking The Crown “came about because of an enhanced sensitivity because of the passing of the Queen.”

Imelda Staunton, who plays Queen Elizabeth in Season 5 of The Crown added, “we’re in it… so we don’t think it’s undignified. We think it’s honest and true and respectful. Peter Morgan’s been writing about the Queen since Helen Mirren [was in The Queen]. He obviously adores this family in many ways, and he’ll show both sides of the characters, for good or for worse. He’ll show them and make no judgment, he’ll leave that up to the audience.”

Viewers will just have to wait until Season 5 of The Crown to make their final judgments, however. Season 5 of The Crown will premiere on Netflix on November 9, 2022. You can watch a trailer for the season below.