Netflix has 'no plans' to add a disclaimer to its hit drama The Crown that labels it as fiction, according to a statement from the streaming service published by The Guardian.
The UK's Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Oliver Dowden previously told The Mail on Sunday that Netflix should make it clear at the start of each episode that the show is fiction.
"It's a beautifully produced work of fiction, so as with other TV productions, Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just that," he was quoted as saying. Dowden was allegedly concerned that viewers who didn't live through these events in the royal family's history would take it as fact, and planned to write to Netflix.
Netflix's statement says: "We have always presented The Crown as a drama and we have every confidence our members understand it’s a work of fiction that’s broadly based on historical events. As a result we have no plans, and see no need, to add a disclaimer."
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Broader complaints about the series focus on the depiction of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's relationship. More arbitrary complaints rounded up in The Guardian's piece focus on alleged granular inaccuracies, like Prince Charles' fishing technique.
Season 4 of The Crown just released on Netflix, while seasons 5 and 6 are in the works.
Certain people in the UK are particularly sensitive to the portrayal of the royal family – it's a contentious subject, and The Crown's fourth season explores parts of British history that many living people vividly remember, from the marriage of Charles and Diana to the Falklands War.
