Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Reportedly Can't Comment on 'The Crown' Because of Their Netflix Deal

• Palace sources have suggested that the royal family (opens in new tab) doesn't care for the newest season of Netflix's drama, The Crown. 
• The fourth season covers the early years of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's relationship, as well as her struggles with bulimia and his infidelity.
• While sources have specifically described Prince William's feelings about the series, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's camp has remained silent. Royal commentators believe this is because it would be a conflict of interest for the couple to criticize the show in light of their own deal with Netflix (opens in new tab).

Royals don't often comment (opens in new tab) publicly on portrayals of themselves in the media, but sources close to the royal family have suggested they're not pleased with the most reason season of The Crown (opens in new tab). The latest installment of the Netflix drama covers the early years of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's relationship (opens in new tab), as well as her struggles with bulimia and his infidelity, so it's not shocking that the royals wouldn't love the show right now. 

Prince William (opens in new tab) is definitely not a fan of the series, a royal source told the Daily Mail (opens in new tab).

"The Duke of Cambridge [Prince William] is none too pleased with it. He feels that both his parents are being exploited and being presented in a false, simplistic way to make money," the source said.

While it's likely Prince Harry feels similarly about the series and its portrayal of his late mother in particular, his and Meghan Markle's opinions about the show may never really be known, thanks to their production deal with Netflix.

Royal commentators (opens in new tab) have suggested that the couple's Netflix affiliation could mean they aren't allowed to publicly criticize the series. According to the Mirror (opens in new tab), talkRADIO host Mike Graham and journalist Olivia Utley discussed this very issue earlier this week.

"Meghan and Harry are in a bit of trouble with this over the fact Harry has said nothing about the way in which his mother and father have been portrayed in this series," Graham said.

Utley agreed, saying that she thinks Harry "has got himself into some hot water" and "can't really say anything" about The Crown (opens in new tab) because of his and Meghan's Netflix deal. What's more, she doesn't think this will be the last time the deal results in a conflict of interest for the couple.

"Netflix is where their next paycheck is coming from," she explained. "Prince Harry is going to find himself in situations like this surely over and over again. How could he have just run off to Hollywood and not realized there are going to be huge consequences? There are going to be massive conflicts of interest all the time."