Harry says he watches and 'fact-checks' Netflix series The Crown

Josh Payne, PA Chief Reporter

Britain's Prince Harry has admitted he watches and fact-checks the Netflix series The Crown.

Speaking with the host of The Late Show, Stephen Colbert, on Tuesday night in the US, Harry said he has watched “the older stuff and the more recent stuff” from the show.

In his final interview about the release of his new book, Spare, Harry compared The Crown to his memoir, saying it is “important history has it right”.

Fans of @thecrownnetflix will be pleased to know Prince Harry fact-checks the show. 😂👑 #Colbert #Spare pic.twitter.com/LZjItrfLMx

— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) January 11, 2023

His words come after Netflix added a disclaimer to the description of the trailer for series five, which was released in November last year.

The streaming service faced calls to add a statement at the start of each episode, saying The Crown is a “fictionalised drama”.

Before series five was released, actress Dame Judi Dench argued that the show had begun to verge on “crude sensationalism”, and former British prime minister Sir John Major was said to have described some of the forthcoming scenes as “malicious nonsense”.

At the end of Harry’s interview on The Late Show, CBS presenter Colbert asked: “You’ve watched The Crown, right? You’ve got to have watched some of The Crown, right?”

Harry looked at the audience and paused briefly before saying: “There’s people laughing at that – yes, I have actually watched The Crown.”

“The recent stuff or the older stuff?” Colbert asked.

Harry replied: “The older stuff and the more recent stuff.”

Colbert continued: “Do you fact-check it while you watch it?”

Harry then jokingly pretended to take out a notepad and mimed taking notes before laughing: “Yes, I do actually.”

He then pointed to a copy of his book and added: “Which, by the way, is another reason why it’s important that history has it right.”

Netflix has been contacted for comment.