Prince Philip was reportedly so deeply “hurt and upset” about his portrayal on Netflix’s The Crown that he wanted to sue the show’s makers.
The storyline that allegedly sparked The Duke of Edinburgh’s outrage appeared to blame him for his sister, Princess Cecilie’s death.
Philip, who died last year aged 99, reportedly spoke with lawyers from Farrer & Co, the law firm that aided the royal family since the 1930s, on how to proceed.
Apparently, he wanted to seek legal retribution from Netflix, explicitly surrounding the episode Paterfamilias in Season 2, as The Sunday Times reported.
Hugo Vickers, a royal historian, told the publication, “I know Prince Philip consulted his lawyer about it, to ask “What can I do about it?”
The expert added, “He was very upset about the way that was portrayed. He was human. He could be hurt like anybody else.”
Prince Philip ‘hurt’ over a scene in The Crown
During the penultimate episode of the show’s second season, which aired in 2017, Philip got in trouble at his boarding school Gordonstoun, in Scotland.
As a result, he was not allowed to return home to Germany and spend his break with sister Cecilie, who was pregnant with her fourth child.
Cecilie explained to Philip that his trouble at school caused her to fly to London. However, her character then died in a plane crash.
In The Crown’s reimagining of Cecilie’s funeral, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, Philip’s father, said, 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 favorite child. Get him out of here.”
Cecilie tragically died when a flight crashed in 1937 with her, her husband, and their two young sons aboard.
Cecile, who was 26-year-old at the time, gave birth in the air before crashing into a factory chimney in Ostend, Belgium – the baby’s body was found beside her in the wreckage.
However, Cecile’s travel plans and ultimate death had nothing to do with Philip, who was very close to his sister.
The Queen watched the early seasons of The Crown
Prince Philip may not have been a fan of The Crown, but apparently, his wife, The Queen, did watch and enjoy early seasons of the hit Netflix show.
This was confirmed by Vanessa Kirby, who played Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, when she told Vanity Fair that a friend of hers overheard Princess Eugenie saying her “granny” is a fan.
“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 Eugenie, and her granny was the Queen,” she added.