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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Katherine Heslop

'Upset' Prince Philip 'spoke to lawyers' over The Crown blaming him for sister's death

Prince Philip spoke to lawyers after he was blamed for the death of his elder sister in royal drama The Crown, a royal expert has claimed.

The Duke of Edinburgh was said to have been very upset and spoke to a law firm after the show's depiction of Princess Cecilie's death in a plane crash, and the aftermath of the tragedy.

Prince Philip's elder sister died aged 26 in a plane crash in Belgium in 1937.

She had given birth in the air and her new baby, as well as her husband and two young sons perished alongside her.

In season two of The Crown, which aired in 2017, Princess Cecilie's decision to fly from Germany to London is shown as a response to Philip, aged 16 at the time, having issues at school.

Prince Philip, pictured with Queen Elizabeth II, was reportedly upset by scenes in The Crown (PA)

A scene showing her funeral, sees Philip's father, lay the blame at Philip for the deaths.

Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark says: “I’m surprised he dare show himself here.

"Had it not been for Philip and his indiscipline she would never have taken that flight. It’s true, isn’t it boy?

"You’re the reason we’re all here burying my favourite child. Get him out of here.”

Hugo Vickers, author and royal historian, said the Duke of Edinburgh, who died in April 2021, was affected by the scenes.

The scenes concerning Princess Cecilie's death featured in season two of The Crown, which starred Claire Foy and Matt Smith (Robert Viglasky / Netflix)

“I know Prince Philip consulted his lawyer about it, to ask ‘What can I do about it?’

"He was very upset about the way that was portrayed. He was human. He could be hurt like anybody else," Mr Vickers told The Sunday Times.

The Prince was said to have contacted firm Farrer & Co, who have represented Queen Elizabeth II, over the scenes, but did not pursue action.

The news comes after renewed pressure on Netflix to add a disclaimer at the start of each episode of the Royal drama, stating the show is fiction.

Netflix has faced calls to add a disclaimer to The Crown before, but the row was bought up again when actress Dame Judi Dench slammed the show for its 'crude sensationalism', ahead of the arrival of season five, which covers the breakdown of Charles and Diana's marriage.

The James Bond star, 87, called for a disclaimer to be added to each episode, saying the "fictionalised drama" poses a risk because "a significant number of viewers" will take its events as historical truth.

The latest season of The Crown, set in the 1990s and starring Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce, has been met with calls for a disclaimer (NETFLIX)

While Netflix hasn't added a disclaimer ahead of each episode, the introduction to the series on the streamer's homepage states that the show is "inspired by real events" but is a "fictional dramatization" that tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and her reign.

Netflix has said previously that it has always made clear The Crown is a fictionalised drama inspired by historical events.

The streamer declined to comment when approached by the Mirror.

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