Still reeling from the last season of The Crown? Same. And if you thought season 4 was bloody wild, wait ’til ya hear what season 5 has in store, because according to insiders, it’s “set to infuriate the royals,” which we love to hear.
The upcoming season is going to explore the spicy relationship between the late Prince Philip and aristocrat Penny Knatchbull, who was 30 years younger than him.
Actress Natascha McElhone will portray 68-year-old Penny, while Jonathan Pryce will play Prince Philip, and Harry Potter star Imelda Staunton will take on the role of Queen Liz.
Dominic West as Prince Charles. (Credit: Netflix)
An insider told The Sun that the exploration of Philip and Penny’s relationship in the series is “unlikely to be welcomed by the royal family.”
“This is a relationship which naturally raised a few eyebrows and sparked quite a few whispers, but Philip and Penny maintained they were just friends,” the insider said.
“The makers of The Crown believe it is a relationship worthy of exploring and casting a veteran actor like Natascha is a reflection of how high profile the role is.”
They concluded, “But the highly personal relationship is unlikely to be welcomed as a storyline by Her Majesty or the rest of the Royal Family.”
Surely they’re used to it by now though, right? They didn’t take too kindly to season 4, with some of Prince Charles’ mates accusing producers of “trolling on a Hollywood budget.”
Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth.
While season 4 was airing, a bunch of Palace insiders put The Crown on blast in an interview with Daily Mail Australia.
“This is drama and entertainment for commercial ends being made with no regard to the actual people involved who are having their lives hijacked and exploited,” said one insider.
“In this case, it’s dragging up things that happened during very difficult times 25 or 30 years ago without a thought for anyone’s feelings. That isn’t right or fair, particularly when so many of the things being depicted don’t represent the truth.”
Every episode of The Crown is now streaming on Netflix, with the spicy “infuriating” fifth season to come v. soon.
