'The Crown' Season 5 Cast Respond to Criticism of Netflix Show

After more than two years of waiting, The Crown Season 5 has finally landed on Netflix.

In the new season, the British royal family enters the tumultuous decade of the 1990s, where they were faced with one crisis after another—two divorces, a global recession, waning popularity, personal tragedy, and more.

As per The Crown's tradition, there is a brand new cast portraying the Royal Family in their later years and once again, the show has not landed on screens without some controversy.

Ever since The Crown premiered in 2016, it has faced criticism for its historical accuracy.

As the release of Season 5 approached, audiences and notable figures began to voice their concerns.

For example, the U.K.'s former Conservative prime minister, John Major, who is portrayed by Elementary's Jonny Lee Miller in The Crown Season 5 told The Mail on Sunday that a scene in Episode 1 where his character discusses the late Queen Elizabeth II's potential abdication was "a barrel-load of nonsense."

Acclaimed British actress Dame Judi Dench has accused the show of being "cruelly unjust." In an open letter, she wrote that Netflix "seems willing to blur the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism."

For the first time since the show came into existence, the trailer for the latest season featured a "fictional dramatization" message, adding that it was "inspired by real events."

However, the cast of the most recent series addressed the criticism directly in several interviews prior to The Crown's release on Wednesday, November 9.

Newsweek takes a look at what the cast had to say below:

Imelda Staunton

Speaking to the BBC at the London premiere of The Crown on Wednesday, November 9, Imelda Staunton, who portrays Queen Elizabeth II, defended the series, stating it should be seen as "still history" as it was set over 30 years ago.

She added that she felt "hugely honored" to be playing the late monarch and following in the footsteps of Claire Foy who portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in Seasons 1 and 2, and subsequently by Olivia Colman in Seasons 3 and 4.

Dominic West

Dominic West, who portrays Prince Charles (now King Charles III) in the series, reflected: "I think a lot of people are very sensitive about the show since the Queen died. A lot of people are worried about what will be in it, but I don't think they need to be."

He said he would not have taken on the role if he did not think the writing was done fairly. In a conversation with NBC News, he added how audiences would feel "cheated" if Season 5 did not tackle "unavoidable" events.

Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, after 70 years and 214 days on the throne. At the time, filming for The Crown Season 6 was postponed.

Jonny Lee Miller

Trainspotting star Jonny Lee Miller who plays Prime Minister John Major responded to Major's claims that the scene regarding the Queen's possible abdication in Episode 1 was a "barrel-load of malicious nonsense."

He told the BBC: "I think it's been misrepresented in the press and it's a big fuss about nothing."

Jonathan Pryce

Sir Jonathan Pryce takes over the reins from Tobias Menzies to portray Prince Philip in the 1990s.

He told the BBC's David Sillito that the series "sets out to humanize the Royal Family and allows us to experience some of the emotion they had."

Pryce felt that the audience will "gain a bit of comfort" from seeing the late Queen "embodied again."

In a separate interview with NBC News, Pryce quipped: "I think the public is well aware that it's a drama, it's not a documentary."

Lesley Manville

Lesley Manville stars as Princess Margaret in The Crown Season 5 and she explained to NBC News how the series looks at how the royal family "might have been feeling."

She said: "You get the privilege really of seeing them as human beings, which is really the gift of The Crown and the gift of the scripts. We can say, look at this person, they may have an enormous public image, but we can hone in on them now and this is what they might have been feeling."

Newsweek has contacted Netflix for comment.

The Crown Season 5 is streaming on Netflix now.