How Prince William and Kate Middleton Really Feel About “The Crown,” According to a Royal Biographer

It’s been about a month since Netflix released the last six episodes of the final season of The Crown. This award-winning, historical drama depicts the life and reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II and shares a dramatized, behind-the-scenes look at British royalty. In the sixth and final season of the series, the second volume of episodes specifically focuses on Prince William’s early years, including his struggle to cope with the death of his late mother, Princess Diana, his emergence into the limelight, his college experience at the University of St. Andrew’s, and the beginning of his relationship with Kate Middleton. 

Despite the program’s popularity with the public, it turns out that the Prince and Princess of Wales aren’t huge fans. In royal biographer Robert Hardman’s new book, The Making of a King: King Charles III And Modern Monarchy—which was released on January 18, 2024—sources close to the royal couple revealed William and Kate’s true feelings about the portrayal of royal family life in the show. “The prince … rolls his eyes when people say that ‘It’s just a drama,’” the insider told the author. “Yet, he will not give it any greater publicity by complaining. He doesn’t like the idea of being seen as a complainer all the time.”

Instead of spending his free time watching programs that focus on the British royals, like The Crown, Prince William has another genre that he prefers. “Superhero movies are, apparently, a particular favorite, especially Deadpool and all things Batman-related,” Hardman shared. According to one of William’s friends, the prince also likes action movies. 

Although William isn’t very fond of The Crown, his brother, Prince Harry, has different feelings toward the program. During an interview with James Corden on The Late Late Show in 2021, Harry said the representation of royal family life on the show doesn’t bother him because he understands it’s an exaggerated version of reality, not the truth.

According to Harry, the series is more real than many news stories that the tabloids and other publications write about him and his wife, Meghan Markle. “They don’t pretend to be news,” Harry explained. “It’s fiction, but it’s loosely based on the truth. Of course, it’s not strictly accurate. It gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle—what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else—what can come from that. I'm way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family, or my wife, or myself. That is obviously fiction—take it how you will—but this is being reported on as fact because you're supposedly news. I have a real issue with that.”