The Crown's cast have given its two cents on Prince Harry's recent seal of approval of the hit Netflix show.
During an interview with James Corden for The Late Late Show, which aired on February 26, the Duke of Sussex seemingly revealed that not only has he seen the series, but that he also doesn't have any major objections to it.
Series four of the series received significant backlash for its depiction of the royal's parents, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, with much debate as to whether its makers should label the show as fiction.
Despite the criticism over the show's depiction of the royal family in recent years, Prince Harry talked about The Crown in a positive light and even went as far as to suggest that the drama could give outsiders a helpful glimpse into the hardships of royal life.
'They don't pretend to be news,' he said of the show's cast and its creators.
'It's fictional, but it's loosely based on the truth. Of course it's not strictly accurate, but loosely, it gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle, what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that.
'I'm way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family or my wife or myself. Because it's the difference between - that [The Crown] is obviously fiction, take it how you will, but this [the press] is being reported as fact because you're supposedly news. I have a real issue with that.'
In response, Gillian Anderson (who plays Margaret Thatcher in The Crown and won the 2021 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress on Sunday night), revealed in a video with Variety that she was happy with the royal's reaction to the series.
'I would say that, you know, Harry is fairly well-qualified to judge what is fact or fiction, and that it was pleasing to hear that he understood what Peter was trying to do on the grounds that he's telling a nuanced story of the challenges of putting duty and service before love and family, and that he has certainly many, many, many years of experience with that,' she said when questioned about her thoughts on the Duke's admission.
'It was nice to be on the outside — and also on the inside — of a show that I care about, hearing, perhaps, that subject put to rest. One would hope.'
Anderson wasn't the only crown cast member to react to the Prince's acknowledgment.
During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Anderson's co-star Josh O'Connor (who plays Prince Charles) won the award for Best Actor in a Television Series discussed Prince Harry's recent casting suggestion for future seasons of the show.
During the Duke's conversation with Corden, he noted that he would hypothetically like actor Damian Lewis to play him in the series. In response, O'Connor told ET that he thinks the royal's suggestion would be 'a pretty good bit of casting.'
'I love Damian Lewis, he's great!' said the 30-year-old, adding 'think the great thing about The Crown is we put together great casts.
'I'm so excited for the next season and everyone who's involved in that, and I'm sure that if it comes to Damian Lewis, it'll probably be a pretty good bit of casting.'
Emma Corrin, who plays Princess Diana in the fourth series, also chimed in on the recent nod or approval.
In an interview with W Magazine, the actor said of the royal's Crown approval: 'I didn’t need it, and I wasn’t expecting it, and it wouldn’t have mattered what he thought.
'But I found it quite moving to see him talk about it. Hearing him acknowledge the series in that way was really lovely.'
50 ‘The Crown’ Characters With Their Real-Life Counterparts
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