Former British PM John Major Blasts ‘The Crown’ For Depicting Charles Attempting To Oust The Queen: ‘Malicious Fiction’

etcanada.com:

The royal family is bracing for the fifth season of “The Crown”, as the upcoming season covers arguably the most tumultuous period in the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II: the messy, contentious divorce of Charles and Diana.

The Daily Mail reports that a particular scene in the upcoming season is causing much consternation in Buckingham Palace, in which Charles (played by Dominic West) plots to oust the Queen (Imelda Staunton) by lobbying then-Prime Minister John Major (Jonny Lee Miller) to force his mother’s abdication so he can become king. READ MORE: Buckingham Palace Attempting To Protect King Charles III’s Reputation Ahead Of ‘Exploitative’ Season Of ‘The Crown’ According to the Mail, royal sources are accusing “The Crown” of concocting a “malicious smear” of King Charles that is “false, unfair and deeply wounding,” while Sir Malcom Rifkind, who served as foreign Secretary under Major, slammed the episode as “pure fantasy.” Major, who succeeded Margaret Thatcher and served as PM from 1990 until 1997, made the rare move of issuing a furious statement insisting the scene never happened, blasting the storyline as “damaging and malicious fiction” and “a barrel load of nonsense.” READ MORE: Prince Charles Reacts To Netflix’s Portrayal Of Him In ‘The Crown’ Read Major’s statement in its entirety below: Sir John has not co-operated 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. As you will know, discussions between the Monarch and Prime Minister are entirely private and — for Sir John — will always remain so.