Alan Titchmarsh vows to boycott The Crown in solidarity with Prince Charles
EXCLUSIVE: Alan Titchmarsh - who is friends with HRH Prince Charles - was originally fond of the Netflix series but now he is taking a firm stand against it
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Alan Titchmarsh is boycotting The Crown in solidarity with his friend Prince Charles, saying: “They are playing with people’s lives.”
Alan, who got to know the heir while making TV and radio shows with him, said he was originally a fan of the drama.
But he added: “I’m not watching this series, because I’m afraid I’m one of those who thinks that it’s based too much on conjecture, and it will pass into received wisdom.
"I know Prince Charles quite well. And I would feel the same way as I would have any friend of mine that was portrayed on the box.
“I feel a loyalty to them.”
Alan, who is back with his ITV Love Your Weekend show next year, said many people believe the Netflix show to be entirely accurate and poured scorn on Netflix’s denials.
He said: “They say, ‘Oh, well it’s drama’. But no, it’s real people’s lives.
“If I were to make a film about your life, and invent the bits that I didn’t know, that wouldn’t really be very fair on you, would it? I think it’s not enough to say, ‘Oh, people know it’s drama’.
"A lot of people don’t, a lot of people assume it’s true. “
Alan admitted he had enjoyed some aspects of the show though.
He said of the actress who played the Queen: “I thought Claire Foy was wonderful. It was well shot, it was delightful. It was informative.
"I think when you stray too close to the present day, and start imagining what happens in a room with people who are... of high profile, then you start to affect other people’s perception of them by your imagination... not a good thing.
“These are real people who have had lives of complexity... that you don’t know about. You’re playing with people’s lives.”
The fourth series covers Charles’s marriage to Diana, her eating disorders and his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.
Other friends of Prince Charles have previously accused Netflix producers of “trolling on a Hollywood budget.”
Among the disputed scenes are Charles verbally abusing his wife, and Diana confronting him about his affair at their wedding rehearsal.
Earl Mountbatten is shown telling Charles that the family are disappointed at his relationship with Camilla.
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