Celebrity
Why Tony Blair Thinks The Crown Is "Utter Rubbish"
The former PM is not alone in his criticism of this particular plot line, either.
Every dramatised retelling of real lives is bound to ruffle some feathers, but perhaps none quite as much as the latest season of The Crown. Fans have been waiting with bated breath for Season 5 to depict the most well-known and tragic part of Princess Diana’s life, and with the recent loss of Queen Elizabeth II, interest in stories of the royals is pretty high. However, former prime minister Sir Tony Blair has added his voice to those criticising the Netflix show for its dramatisation of real events, calling it “utter rubbish.”
The latest season of the Netflix show includes scenes of a frustrated Prince Charles lobbying the then new Prime Minister Tony Blair, portrayed by Bertie Carvel, suggesting the two work together to secure his ascension and pave his way to (finally) marry Camilla Parker Bowles. In a statement issued to The Telegraph on Nov. 4, Blair emphatically declared: “It should come as no surprise that this is complete and utter rubbish.”
Blair isn’t the only former Prime Minister to speak out. Sir John Major, who also features in season five of the celebrated Netflix series, also slammed The Crown for being “damaging and malicious fiction,” describing the hit show as “a barrel-load of nonsense peddled for no other reason than to provide maximum — and entirely false — dramatic impact.” Major also added that the TV series “will be profoundly hurtful to a family who are still grieving for the very person on whose life the entire drama was founded.”
Both their criticisms have since been praised by former Conservative deputy prime minister, Lord Heseltine, who told Sky: “I’m glad they have spoken out. They have public credibility and it’s important that those who do understand what goes on and what has gone on actually speak up because the Royal Family are in a very difficult position to defend themselves.”
However, Khalid Abdalla, who plays Princess Diana’s lover Dodi Fayed in this new season, has defended The Crown, telling Sky that the show contains love towards the royal family and their legacy. “I believe that in order to tell those stories as beautifully as possible and as fully as possible you have to have the fullness of everything, and that’s what I’ve seen we’re trying to do.”
