Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix show pushed back as risqué storyline from 'The Crown' criticized

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix show pushed back as critics of 'The Crown' season 5, including former Prime Minister, speak out

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive at the United Nations Headquarters on July 18, 2022 in New York City. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex is the keynote speaker during the United Nations General assembly to mark the observance of Nelson Mandela International Day where the 2020 U.N. Nelson Mandela Prize will be awarded to Mrs. Marianna Vardinogiannis of Greece and Dr. Morissanda Kouyaté of Guinea.
(Image credit: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix show has been pushed back as Netflix faces an enormous amount of backlash ahead of the premiers of The Crown season 5. One critic in particular, former British Prime Minister Sir John Major, has referred to a storyline including him as 'malicious nonsense.'


Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix show, which is said to be a fly on the wall style reality show, is on pause because of another Netflix show - The Crown season 5.

Speaking to Deadline, a source said, “they’re rattled at Netflix, and they blinked first and decided to postpone the documentary." It appears that the streaming giant are responding to backlash about the upcoming season of The Crown after one public figure spoke out.

The Mail on Sunday reported the new season includes scenes featuring King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, allegedly 'lobbying' the then Prime Minister John Major to help force his mother Queen Elizabeth II's abdication. 

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (R) shares a joke with former Prime Minister John Major as they attend the annual Commonwealth Day reception at Marlborough House on March 11, 2019 in London, England. The Commonwealth represents 53 countries and almost 2.4 billion people and 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the modern Commonwealth, enabling cooperation towards social, political and economic development.

(Image credit: Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

In a statement with the publication, the former Prime Minister's spokesperson said, "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."

They assert that all discussions between the PM and monarch are entirely confidential and will always remain so, adding, "not one of the scenes you depict are accurate in any way whatsoever. They are fiction, pure and simple."

In the statement, said scenes are described further as "nothing other than damaging and malicious fiction. A barrel load of nonsense peddled for no other reason than to provide maximum – and entirely false – dramatic impact."

A spokeswoman for The Crown defended the show, saying, "The Crown has always been presented as a drama based on historical events. Series 5 is a fictional dramatization, imagining what could have happened behind closed doors during a significant decade for the Royal Family - one that has already been scrutinized and well-documented by journalists, biographers, and historians."

So what does this mean for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix show? Netflix responded to Deadline's inquiries and said that, ”there’s never been any documentary from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed.” 

Aoife Hanna
Junior News Editor

Aoife is an Irish journalist and writer with a background in creative writing, comedy, and TV production.

Formerly woman&home's junior news editor and a contributing writer at Bustle, her words can be found in the Metro, Huffpost, Delicious, Imperica and EVOKE.

Her poetry features in the Queer Life, Queer Love anthology.

Outside of work you might bump into her at a garden center, charity shop, yoga studio, lifting heavy weights, or (most likely) supping/eating some sort of delicious drink/meal.