After the Season 4 launch this weekend, it seems like everyone is watching The Crown. And we mean everyone. Previous reports have suggested that The Queen and other members of her family have dipped in and out of the Netflix hit, watching how their lives have been interpreted by Peter Morgan and his team of researchers. But what about the plus ones? Does Camilla sit down with a glass of wine to watch how Emerald Fennell has interpreted her? Does Kate log in to get to know young William as a baby? Does Meghan binge on a programme that warns of the perils of joining the royal family? it's worth investigating...
First, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. She first showed her face in the third season, and there's pretty conclusive proof that she has seen The Crown at least once. Ben Elliot, Camilla's nephew, told Vanity Fair that she had watched it, but 'wasn't looking forward to the bits to come.' Anyone who has seen the fourth season will understand why...
It doesn't look like Kate has seen what all the fuss is about, at least if William has anything to do with it. According to Olivia Colman - who plays Queen Elizabeth II - the Duke of Cambridge acknowledged her participation in the series. 'He asked what I was doing at the moment before he quickly added, "Actually, I know what you're doing,"' Olivia said on the Graham Norton Show. 'I was so excited and asked, "Have you watched it?" His answer was a firm, "No." But he was very charming and very lovely.' William's lack of interest doesn't necessarily rule Kate out of having a solo viewing party, of course, but somehow it seems unlikely that she'd break rank.
As for Meghan, there are suggestions that she has given the show a try. In recent biography Harry: Life, Loss and Love, author and royal expert Katie Nicholl notes that, during their courtship, 'Meghan loved to make extravagant dinners for Harry, and they enjoyed staying in and eating her delicious homemade meals and watching films and TV shows like The Crown on Netflix.' Since then, the pair have signed a lucrative production deal with the streaming giant, so it would be prudent to have viewed one of their biggest programmes. Purely for research purposes, of course.
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