Sir John Major has blasted Netflix hit series The Crown as a ‘damaging and malicious’ work of fiction in a new statement.
The former prime minister, who was in office from 1990 to 1997, will be portrayed in the show’s upcoming fifth series by actor Jonny Lee Miller.
However, the politician’s spokesperson took aim at the show’s rumoured version of events for series five on Saturday night, calling the its plot lines ‘a barrel-load of nonsense’.
The fifth chapter of the period drama is expected to have a time jump, as audiences are transported to the early 1990s in Buckingham Palace, with Imelda Staunton taking over from Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II.
Several of The Crown’s rumoured upcoming storylines have already caused backlash, with reports of scenes apparently set to show the late Duke of Edinburgh ‘pursuing an affair’ met with uproar just weeks after the Queen’s death on September 8.
Now it’s been suggested that the latest series, set to premiere on November 9, will imagine conversations between Sir John and the late Queen during their weekly meetings.
A rumoured scene causing particular distress due to concerns it could harm the reputation of King Charles III is said to show the fictionalised Sir John being summoned to a meeting by the then Prince of Wales, where he requests the Prime Minister’s support for the Queen’s abdication as he secretly schemes to oust his mother.
There’s also said to be dialogue between Miller’s Sir John and his wife Dame Norma (played by Flora Montgomery) where they discuss the Royal Family in unflattering terms.
A spokesperson for Sir John commented on Saturday night: ‘Sir John has not cooperated – in any way – with The Crown. Nor has he ever been approached by them to fact-check any script material in this or any other series.
‘Discussions between the monarch and prime minister are entirely private and – for Sir John – will always remain so.’
Their imagined conversations were dismissed as ‘fiction, pure and simple’, while rumoured plot lines were also slammed in the statement as ‘nothing other than damaging and malicious fiction’ and ‘a barrel-load of nonsense peddled for no other reason than to provide maximum – and entirely false – dramatic impact’.
The spokesperson added: ‘There was never any discussion between Sir John and the then Prince of Wales about any possible abdication of the late Queen Elizabeth II – nor was such an improbable and improper subject ever raised by the then Prince of Wales (or Sir John).’
In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for The Crown told Metro.co.uk: ‘The Crown has always been presented as a drama based on historical events. Series 5 is a fictional dramatisation, imagining what could have happened behind closed doors during a significant decade for the royal family – one that has already been scrutinised and well-documented by journalists, biographers and historians.’
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5video
Regarding the scenes where Sir John and Dame Norma are said to disparage the Royal Family, the spokesperson stressed that ‘that has never been their view, never would be their view, and never will be their view’.
Sir John has never revealed the content of any of his conversations with the Queen during their weekly audiences, although part of one was captured for a 1993 documentary.
Other actors joining The Crown for its new series include Game of Thrones star Jonathan Pryce, who is taking over from Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip, and Lesley Manville, who replaces Helena Bonham-Carter as Princess Margaret.
Elizabeth Debicki and Dominic West also make their debuts as Diana, Princess of Wales and Charles.
The Crown series five premieres on Netflix on November 9.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
Source: Read Full Article
