Why Dame Judi Dench says The Crown is "crude and cruel”

Do you agree?

dame judi dench the crown cruel
(Image credit: Samir Hussein via Getty Images)

The Crown is back on our screens with season five airing tomorrow, and it is safe to say we are excited. There has been much talk about the upcoming series following Queen Elizabeth's tragic death, but stars of the show including Elizabeth Debicki have defended the Netflix series.

Last month, Dame Judi Dench said that she is concerned that the show will "present an inaccurate and hurtful account of history".

Now, she is calling on The Crown to add a disclaimer to the show out of respect for the late Queen. 

The show has always had fans questioning whether the turn of events on the show are true, or whether they are given a healthy dose of creative license. 

Dench has accused the show of "crude sensationalism" and called the series fictionalising events related to the royal family "cruelly unjust". 

Writing a stern letter to The Times, she demanded Netflix add a disclaimer before the show starts to remind the viewer that it is in fact a "fictionalised drama". 

Netflix has not added this to seasons in the past, but a disclaimer has been added to marketing for the upcoming season labelling the show as a "fictional dramatisation" which is "inspired by real-life events".

She reasons that not only would this be a mark of respect for the late Queen Elizabeth II, but also would save Netflix's reputation. 

Dench's intervention comes after news of the fifth series surfaced. Former prime minister, Sir John Major, said The Crown is a "barrel-load of nonsense" and Dench, who is a close friend of Queen Consort Camilla, agreed with former PM that it would present "an inaccurate and hurtful account of history".

What do you think?

Dionne Brighton

Dionne Brighton is a writer at Marie Claire UK, specialising in all things shopping, beauty and fashion. Born and raised in North London, she studied Literature at the University of East Anglia before taking the leap into journalism. These days, you can find her testing out the latest TikTok beauty trends or finding out what the next full Moon means.