'The Crown': Prince William and Prince Harry reveal if they're fans of the show
"The Crown" has been a fan favorite since it premiered in 2016. The question is – do royal family members watch the story of their lives unfold? Here's what they've said.
"The Crown" has been a fan favorite ever since Netflix released the first season in 2016.
The show debuted the first part of the sixth and final season in November, with part two released on Dec. 14. The final season begins in 1997 and highlights the legendary reign of the late Queen Elizabeth as she takes on the 21st century.
Many fans wonder whether the members of the royal family ever watch the series. Here is a breakdown of which royals have been rumored to watch "The Crown."
The show's sixth season began filming after Elizabeth's death in September 2022.
Prior to her death, the monarch did not mention the Netflix series, giving spectators the opportunity to form their own opinions.
Matt Smith – who played Prince Phillip in season one and two of "The Crown – told "Today," "I heard the queen had watched it, and she used to watch it on a projector on Sunday night, apparently."
Smith also weighed in on whether the late Prince Phillip ever watched "The Crown."
"A friend of mine sat next to (Philip) at a dinner once… and my friend couldn’t resist by the end of the meal. He was like, ‘Philip, I have to ask, have you watched ‘The Crown'?'" Matt told the outlet. "And apparently (Philip) turned around to him and said, ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’"
Phillip died in April 2021.
As season five of "The Crown" was about to be released on Netflix, a source close to King Charles told Vanity Fair that although he had seen previous seasons, they doubted that he would watch the new one.
"They have watched some of ‘The Crown,’ but I doubt they’ll be in a hurry to see this one," a close family friend told the outlet.
The fifth season of the series covered Princess Diana's infamous Panorama interview and the hardships in their marriage.
Dominic West, who played Prince Charles in season five and six, shared an encounter he had with Queen Camilla in 2021.
West told Radio Times that while he was attending a party in 2021, Camilla greeted him as "Your Majesty."
Although she didn't directly mention "The Crown," her commentary goes to show she is aware of the show – and its casting.
Prince William and Kate Middleton's love story is seen on the small screen in season six of "The Crown."
In 2019, William clarified if he is a fan of the series.
The heir to the throne told actress Olivia Colman, who portrayed Queen Elizabeth on the show, that he does not watch the show.
"He asked what I was doing at the moment before he quickly added, ‘Actually, I know what you’re doing,’" Colman recalled of her conversation with William on "The Graham Norton Show."
"I was so excited and asked, ‘Have you watched it?’ His answer was a firm, ‘No.’ But he was very charming and very lovely," she continued.
He did not share if his wife, Kate Middleton, has watched the show.
True Royalty TV co-founder Nick Bullen explained to Fox News Digital whether he believes William and his brother, Prince Harry, would watch the final season of "The Crown" since it shows their mother, Princess Diana's tragic death.
"I think the boys are making the right decision not to watch these episodes of ‘The Crown’... It's very difficult to watch," Bullen began. "There are phone calls between her and the boys – that last phone call. There's the moment she waves them off from Kensington Palace. There's all these very last and final moments, and it's hard just to watch [as] someone who doesn't have a personal connection."
WATCH: Nick Bullen says Prince William, Prince Harry made the 'right decision' not watching Princess Diana's death on 'The Crown'
Bullen continued, "So for that to be your story would be truly heartbreaking. And I think they're making the right decision not to watch it and I hope they can avoid quite a lot of the noise around it because it is pretty raw. And I think what Peter Morgan has done is take a huge license with what went on behind closed doors. None of us know. And I think all of that supposition can't be good for those close to the family"
In 2021, Prince Harry confirmed on "The Late Late Show" with James Corden that he has watched "The Crown."
"They don’t pretend to be news. It’s fictional, but it’s loosely based on the truth," Harry said, explaining that the show isn't 100% accurate.
"But it gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle – the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else – what can come from that," he continued.
Harry noted that he appreciates "The Crown's" depiction of his life over stories from the tabloids.
"I’m way more comfortable with 'The Crown' than I am seeing the stories written about my family or my wife or myself," Harry said. "Because it’s the difference between that is obvious fiction, take it how you will, but this is being reported on as fact because you’re supposedly news. I have a real issue with that."
During Harry and Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Harry noted that he and his wife have seen the show. "I’ve watched some of it; we’ve watched some of it," he said at the time.
In January 2023, Harry was a guest on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," where he admitted again that he's seen "The Crown."
"You’ve got to have watched some of ‘The Crown,’ right?" Colbert asked Harry.
"People love it. Yes, I have actually watched ‘The Crown,’" he responded, noting that he's seen both the "older stuff and the more recent stuff."
Colbert asked Harry if he fact-checks the episodes and Harry replied with a laugh, "Yes, I do, actually."
"By the way, (that's) another reason why it's so important that history has it right," Harry added.
Princess Eugenie, the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, acknowledged "The Crown" in 2017.
While attending a China Exchange in London, Eugenie said, "I did watch a couple of episodes of 'The Crown.' It is filmed beautifully. The music is wonderful, the story is beautiful," Town & Country reported.
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Eugenie noted that she felt "proud" while watching the series.
"I can’t speak for everyone but that’s how I felt when I watched it," she said, per the outlet.
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Like mother, like daughter. In an interview with Town & Country, Ferguson admitted she was a fan of "The Crown," but wished she received more screen time.
"Hello? Where is Fergie?" she joked in a 2021 interview with the outlet.
Sarah told Us Weekly the same year, "I thought it was filmed beautifully. The cinematography was excellent. I loved the way they put my wedding in as well."
Fox News Digital's Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.
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