

It's probably not all that easy for Prince Harry to settle down in front of Netflix, thanks to one extremely successful, internationally beloved series that happens to depict his entire family's life. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that Harry isn't looking forward to appearing on The Crown (in dramatized form, that is)—in fact, he told a royal correspondent that he hoped the series would wrap up before On-Screen Harry came into the picture.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, royal commentator Angela Levin explained, "Well Harry, when I went to interview him in the Palace, the first thing he said to me when he shook my hand was, 'Are you watching The Crown?'And I hadn't been at the time; I felt very embarrassed and I got it, and he said, 'I'm going to make sure I stop it before they get to me.'"
It seems fair to assume Harry was joking about "stopping" the show—but given his heavily documented, at times deeply tragic childhood, it's not hard to empathize with his reluctance to see it reconstructed.
How might #TheCrown react to Harry and Meghan’s decision to step back? 🤔@angelalevin1 tells #BBCBreakfast what Prince Harry said about the show ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/KZ1pdt9Do0January 20, 2020
The royals have repeatedly denied any involvement with The Crown, after writer Peter Morgan suggested he consulted with "people who are very high ranking and very active" within the family. In a letter to the Times of London, the Queen's secretary Donal McCabe stressed, "The Royal Household has never agreed to vet or approve content, has not asked to know what topics will be included, and would never express a view as to the programme's accuracy." In other words: Watch the show, don't watch the show—just don't assume it's got a royal stamp of approval.
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Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.
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