Buckingham Palace has released a statement about the new series of The Crown

Season 5 is set to feature Charles and Diana's divorce

The Crown has been keeping royal fans captivated since 2016, with audiences watching the likes of Claire Foy and Olivia Colman taking on the role of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Following her recent death, there have been some changes to the monarchy with King Charles III formally announced as the sovereign and Prince William and Kate Middleton given the titles of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

With the fifth season of the show due to air in November, the Palace is publicly reminding fans that the show is "just a drama" as the new series will feature the now King's divorce from Princess Diana.

Season 5 will explore how their marriage broke down, with Dominic West portraying the then-young Prince Charles and Elizabeth Debicki playing Princess Diana. But it was the release of a teaser this weekend which has prompted the Palace to release a statement to The Telegraph.

The trailer shows a news reader announcing Charles and Diana's separation, then building up the momentum around their divorce with both parties appearing on TV to share their side of the story. But, according to the publication, the royals are worried that the portrayal will confuse royal fans.

The paper spoke to a senior royal source who stressed that The Crown is "a drama not a documentary" - hoping that fans can differentiate between the two.

The Telegraph reports that a friend of the King's said the show was "exploitative" and that Netflix has "no qualms about m angling people's reputations", with the source saying: 'What people forget is that there are real human beings and real lives at the heart of this.'

When the Queen passed away, producer Peter Morgan said: “The Crown is a love letter to her. I’ve nothing to add for now, just silence and respect. I expect we will stop filming out of respect too.”

The Crown cast also paid tributes to her Majesty, with Olivia Coleman, who played the Queen in Season 4, leading the tributes.

Sarah is a freelance journalist - writing about the royals and celebrities for Marie Claire, fitness for Women's Health and Tech Radar and travel for the Evening Standard and Woman & Home. She covers a variety of other subjects too and loves interviewing leaders and innovators in the beauty, travel and wellness worlds for numerous UK and overseas publications. Sarah can normally be found trying out the latest fitness class or on a plane to an exotic destination - and of course, writing about them.