Real-life royals who reportedly watch The Crown, from Queen Elizabeth to Harry and Meghan

Does this mean the Queen has Netflix?
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Marissa Desantis6 August 2020

If you’re impatient for season 4 of The Crown, you could be in regal company. The Netflix series apparently has quite a few real-life Royal viewers.

In a recent interview for an upcoming ITV documentary, Princess Anne said she has watched the series - joining several other family members rumored to follow the show.

The Crown might provide a fictitious look into the Royal Family’s private lives, but it’s been a commercial and critical hit (it received nine Golden Globe nominations, winning the award for Best Television Series in 2017). Plus, who could resist watching a show about their own family?

Des Willie/Netflix

Chronicling Queen Elizabeth’s life from the 1940s, the series has already begun filming for its 4th season, which is set to introduce actress Emma Corrin as Princess Diana and head into more recent events.

Des Willie/Netflix

With season 4 expected to land on Netflix in late 2020, The Crown gets closer to depicting the family's present-day members. In the meantime, here’s a list of the rumored and confirmed family members who have seen it.

Princess Anne

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In an upcoming documentary for ITV titled Anne: The Princess at 70, the daughter of Queen Elizabeth revealed she at one point watched The Crown. Although she doesn’t watch it anymore, she said the earlier episodes were “quite interesting” and poked fun at the show’s depiction of her.

Previously, actress Erin Doherty (who plays Princess Anne) said to Town & Country that perfecting Princess Anne’s hair for the show could sometimes take as long as “two hours.”

Princess Anne said in response, “Actually I read an article the other day about The Crown, the actress was talking about how long it took them to do their hair like I did. And I’m thinking, ‘How could you possibly take that long?’ I mean it takes me 10 or 15 minutes.”

Arthur Chatto, Princess Margaret's grandson

The 20-year-old is one of the only members of the Royal Family to publicly comment on the show, confirming in January 2020, that he does indeed watch The Crown.

“Yes, I have watched it,” said Chatto, who is the Queen’s great-nephew. “I guess it’s only an interpretation. So I just kind of remember what they’re actually like and don’t let the TV persona mar my judgment of any of them,” he told the Telegraph.

Arthur Chatto
artchatto/Instagram

Chatto is the younger son of Lady Sarah Chatto and Daniel Chatto, and his late grandmother, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, was portrayed by actress Vanessa Kirby in seasons one and two.

To depict the family as they age, the series brought in Helena Bonham Carter to continue as Princess Margaret in the third season - a performance which was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress award at the 2020 Golden Globes.

Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth II arriving at St Mary the Virgin, Hillington, Norfolk to attend a Sunday church service. (File photo)
PA

Obviously, the Queen hasn’t come right out and said she watches The Crown, but several incidences confirm she might just be binging the series right along with you.

Des Willie / Netflix

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Vanessa Kirby, who portrayed Princess Margaret in the first and second season, shared, “A friend of mine was at a party and didn’t know anyone, so he sidled up to this group who were talking about The Crown, when one said, ‘Well, my granny watches it and really likes it.’ It slowly dawned on him that the girl was [Princess] Eugenie and her granny was the queen,” Kirby told the publication a few years back.

Sophie Mutevelian / Netflix

Fans of the show also believe the Queen has made subtle references to The Crown in both her 2017 and 2019 Christmas Day speeches.

Camilla Parker Bowles

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Before season 3 was released in November 2019, the Duchess of Cornwall’s nephew, Ben Elliot, confirmed to Vanity Fair his aunt had seen it.

Elliot shared that Camilla watched The Crown at her and husband Prince Charles’ Scottish estate, Birkhall.

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Though she confessed that she enjoyed the show, Elliot added that Camilla “wasn’t looking forward to the bits to come.”

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Elliot was likely referring to the fact that Camilla was introduced into the series in season 3, with actress Emerald Fennell portraying her.

In real life, Camilla and Prince Charles met in 1970, striking up a romance that eventually cooled off (Camilla became engaged to Andrew Parker Bowles and Charles was then engaged to Princess Diana), and picked back up again while Charles was married to Diana.

Sarah Ferguson

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, in 2017 (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)

The Duchess of York is said to be a fan of the show and has even allegedly weighed in on who should play her in forthcoming seasons.

“Sarah has really enjoyed the series - even if it hasn’t gone down well with all members of the royal family,” a source reportedly told The Sun in 2019.

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As for who Prince Andrew’s ex-wife would like to see portray her, she is said to have two actresses in mind - Eleanor Tomlinson and Julianne Moore.

PA

“She’s told several people close to her she really loves the idea of Eleanor after watching Poldark,” The Sun said. “In later life, she’s keen on Julianne Moore.”

Princess Eugenie

Princess Eugenie arriving at York Minster for the wedding of singer Ellie Goulding to Caspar Jopling
PA Wire/PA Images

Like her mom, Sarah Ferguson, Princess Eugenie is said to enjoy The Crown.

 
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Not only did she spill the tea that the Queen has seen it, but as Express reported, Eugenie commented on the show at a party in 2017. “The music is wonderful; the story is beautiful and you feel very proud to watch it,” she’s quoted to have said.

Zara and Mike Tindall

Zara Phillips and then-fiance Mike Tindall attend Prince William and Catherine Middleton's wedding in 2011
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The Express also reported that Princess Anne’s daughter (and the Queen’s granddaughter), Zara Tindall, watched The Crown, according to statements her husband Mike Tindall made in 2017.

Des Willie/Netflix

“She’s brilliant, the one who plays the queen,” he said, presumably speaking about actress Claire Foy, who portrayed the Queen in the first two seasons, which were released in 2016 and 2017. “I think it’s a great show in terms of how they delivered it,” he added.

Harry and Meghan

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announcing their engagement in 2017
AFP via Getty Images

While the series hasn’t reached Prince Harry’s era yet (and hasn’t been confirmed if it ever intends to), in her 2018 biography about the Duke of Sussex, author Katie Nicholl alleged he and Meghan watched the show.

Des Willie/Netflix

“An accomplished cook, Meghan loved to make extravagant dinners for Harry, and they enjoyed staying in and eating her delicious homemade meals and watching films and TV shows like The Crown on Netflix,” Nicholl wrote in her book, Harry: Life, Loss, and Love.

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