When The Crown started it was a historical drama; Claire Foy and Matt Smith led a cast through the Royal Family’s history during the late 1940s and early ‘50s. However, now the show is catching up with history, meaning what's happening now could be depicted on the show, and as we’ve gotten closer to that moment the criticism surrounding the show has gotten greater. Now, Helena Bonham Carter, who played Princess Margaret during Seasons 3 and 4 is speaking out about why she thinks the show shouldn’t “carry on.”
Considering Carter played Princess Margaret for a while on the Netflix series, she was asked about the show’s future by The Guardian. The journalist had mentioned her work on The Crown because of Prince Harry’s book Spare, they also said the Netflix series would be easy to write now. Meanwhile, Carter simply believes the series shouldn’t continue, saying:
I should be careful here too, but I don’t think they should carry on, actually. I’m in it and I loved my episodes, but it’s very different now. When The Crown started it was a historic drama, and now it’s crashed into the present. But that’s up to them.
Clearly, Carter does not want The Crown to crash further into the present, however, she did enjoy her time making the show. Back in 2020, the actress said that playing the princess was a “gift,” despite the role causing her anxiety. She also said she loved playing the princess who passed in 2002 because she was “complicated and complex” and that “she’s never boring.”
Even though she loved her experience on the show, Carter stated it should not continue, she also made it clear she doesn’t want to comment on what the Royal Family is currently going through. Despite her character on The Crown also being the second-born child, she felt no need to comment on Prince Harry’s book full of allegations and revelations, saying:
I don’t really want to contribute to the whole thing. It’s complicated and it’ll get taken out of context. And I think it’s been given enough attention.
The book, and The Crown’s fifth season, which aired in late 2022, have both received a lot of criticism for the way they depicted the Royal Family. For example, a friend of the Royal Family alleged that series was “vilifying” the family, and said they were “horrified” by the show's latest season. Meanwhile, Imelda Staunton, who plays Queen Elizabeth II in the latest season, said it’s understandable why people feel “sensitive” about the new season, but also said the show was written with “respect” for the Royal Family.
It’s clear that as The Crown inches closer to current times things will likely get a bit messier since many of the characters in the show are still alive and working.
To watch the first five seasons of The Crown, witness Carter's performance as Princess Margaret and see how the show has depicted more recent events you can stream the historical drama with a Netflix subscription.
