Prince Harry has shown his loyalty to Netflix, with whom he has a multi-million pound contract, and defended The Crown, despite the show facing widespread criticism over its ‘twisted’ depiction of the Royal Family.
Speaking on The Late Late Show with James Corden, the Duke of Sussex, 36, gave his seal of approval to the Netflix show, which portrays his father Prince Charles as callous and self-serving and his grandmother the Queen as cold.
The fourth series of The Crown, which premiered last November, showed Charles meeting and marrying an innocent Diana while maintaining his affair with the then-married Camilla Parker-Bowles. Scenes showing Diana gorging on food before vomiting into a toilet are so graphic that they carry on-screen warnings.
Harry and Meghan Markle raised eyebrows when they signed a deal with the streaming platform, thought to be worth around £100million.
Prince Harry has defended Netflix’s The Crown, saying it gives a ‘good idea’ of the pressures faced by members of the Royal Family. He shared his feelings on the Late Late Show with James Corden (pictured)
The Netflix show has come under fire over its portrayal of members of the Royal Family, including Harry’s father Prince Charles. Pictured, Emma Corrin and Josh O’Connor as Princess Diana and Prince Charles in series four of The Crown
Prince Harry – who also name-dropped Netflix elsewhere in the interview – said The Crown is ‘fictional’ but is ‘loosely based on the truth’ and captures the feeling of being expected to put ‘duty and service above family and everything else’.
Harry added he would like Homeland actor Damian Lewis to play him if his character ever appears on the show as an adult.
‘They don’t pretend to be news, it’s fictional,’ Prince Harry said of The Crown. ‘But it’s loosely based on the truth.
‘Of course it’s not strictly accurate but it loosely it gives you a rough idea of that lifestyle and the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else and what can come from that.
‘I’m way more comfortable about The Crown than the stories I see written about my family, my wife or myself. Because it’s the difference between that’s [the fact] obviously fiction, take it how you will – but this is reported on as fact because you’re supposedly news.’
The Late Late Show with James Corden segment was filmed before he and wife Meghan Markle, who is pregnant with their second child, confirmed they will not be returning as working members of the Royal Family.
It comes just days before another interview with Oprah Winfrey, which will air on 7 March.
Critics have questioned the timing of his TV appearance, released as the Queen gave a rare public statement encouraging all Britons to have the Covid-19 jab.
In one extraordinary moment Harry raps the theme tune to The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air outside the mansion where it was filmed, before Corden video calls Meghan, who calls her husband ‘Haz’ and tells him not to buy it because she’s ‘done moving’. Harry then pops inside to use the toilet.
In a wide-ranging chat mostly carried out on an open-top bus, Harry opened up about his relationship with Meghan, his son Archie and their decision to quit as frontline royals, saying the pressure of being in London was ‘destroying my mental health’.
Describing the couple’s decision he said: ‘It was never walking away. It was stepping back rather than stepping down. It was a really difficult environment, which I think a lot of people saw. So I did what any father or husband would do and thought: “How do I get my family out of here”. But we never walked away and as far as I’m concerned, whatever decisions are made on that side, I will never walk away’.
And while the interview was carried out before the Queen stripped the Sussexes of their royal patronages, Harry appears to know what was coming and says: ‘‘My life is public service so wherever I am in the world it’s going to be the same thing’.
After Corden told him to pay the fare before jumping on the bus, Harry quipped ‘you know us royals, we don’t carry cash’
Corden served him afternoon tea while pointing out celebrity homes, including what he claimed were those of Friends star David Schwimmer and Die Hard actor Bruce Willis
The 17-minute film begins with James COrden pulling up outside Harry’s mansion in an open -top bus, which Harry admits he’s never been on.
After Corden told him to pay the fare before jumping on the bus, Harry quipped ‘you know us royals, we don’t carry cash’ and said it was his first time on an open-top bus because ‘we’re not really allowed to’.
Corden served him afternoon tea while pointing out celebrity homes, including what he claimed were those of Friends star David Schwimmer and Die Hard actor Bruce Willis.
But moments later the bus braked heavily and the dinner wagon holding the tea jolted into Prince Harry – who swore in shock – before he spat his drink out while laughing.
During a visit to the house that featured on 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, Harry rapped the famous theme song, which was originally performed by Will Smith.
Corden tried to convince him to buy the sprawling mansion before Harry went inside to use the bathroom.
They video called Meghan, who in response to Corden’s suggestion they buy the house, quipped ‘I think we’ve done enough moving’