From Shakespeare onwards, the idea that royal intrigue might be lurking behind gilded palace doors has always fascinated us humble (non-titled) folk: just look at the recent success of Netflix's The Crown, or the column inches that have already been generated by American Horror Story showrunner Ryan Murphy's next TV project, Feud: Charles and Diana.
But while we're used to period dramas playing fast and loose with historical fact (hands up who has found themselves frantically Googling how much of The Crown is actually true? after a late night Netflix session...) or giving us a new perspective on events that have already happened (like in The Audience and The Queen, also the work of Crown showrunner Peter Morgan), a new BBC production is set to take a different, more inflammatory approach.
Due to air this week, one-off drama King Charles III will bring Mike Bartlett's play to the small screen after critically acclaimed runs in London's West End and on Broadway. What will happen when the Queen dies, and when Prince Charles takes on the mantle of King Charles III? That's the question which Bartlett grapples with, taking his cues from Shakespeare's history plays to imagine the constitutional crisis that could ensue if a monarch-to-be locked horns with the government.
What follows is pretty controversial: a fictionalised Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, administering a slap to Wills, a Machiavellian Kate Middleton pulling strings behind the scenes and (to much consternation) a scene featuring the 'ghost' of the late Princess Diana.
After complaints from the usual quarters (disgruntled Tory backbenchers, we're looking at you) branding the production 'distasteful,' the BBC was forced to defend itself, responding with a statement that 'the public know the difference between fact and fiction and King Charles III is a one-off BBC2 drama of the award-winning fictional play.' Intrigued yet? Ahead of its premiere tomorrow, here's your need-to-know. William, Kate and Harry, if you're reading this - you might want to avert your eyes...
The plays opens with the death of Queen Elizabeth II
Courting controversy from the opening scenes, the play immediately forces us to contemplate the unthinkable: what will happen when the Queen eventually dies, and how will it be reported in the world's media? 'The issue of greatest sensitivity was always how the funeral of the Queen would be presented and what that would mean for a BBC that covers such events for real,' director Rupert Goold told the Radio Times.
Charlotte Riley plays Kate Middleton as we've never seen her before
The smart shift dresses and brunette blow-dry are the only similarities that you'll find between the real-life Duchess of Cambridge and her fictional counterpart, as portrayed by Charlotte Riley. The play sees 'Kate' take on a role that's reminiscent of Lady Macbeth, persuading William to ask his father to abdicate and make a play for the throne. Speaking to The Guardian, Riley (who is married to fellow actor Tom Hardy) revealed how she prepared for the role, explaining 'I watched the cheesy documentaries and naff American dramas, which were horrendous but weirdly enjotable. Then I dived deep into YouTube. I became obsessed with finding people's phone footage of her, to see her slightly more relaxed and unguarded.'
Prince Harry embarks on a controversial relationship
What about Harry, you ask? The younger Prince also takes on a key role in the drama, embarking on a relationship with (shock horror!) a commoner who (even worse) is in favour of the abolition of the monarchy...
Some actors turned down roles - for fear it would damage their chances of getting knighthoods
For the BBC's adaptation, many actors crossed over from the stage play: the part of Charles was taken on by the late Tim Pigott-Smith, a veteran of the West End production, while Oliver Chris (formerly of The Office workie fame), Richard Goulding and Margot Leicester reprising their roles as Prince William, Harry and Camilla respectively. According to director Rupert Goold, though, the controversial subject matter put off actors with one eye on netting a title further down the line. 'You have to remember that, even with the stage version, we'd been through long conversations with lawyers and certain actors refusing to be involved because of how it might affect their future relationship with the honours system,' he told the Radio Times. No names were mentioned, of course, but one can speculate...
The appearance of Princess Diana's 'ghost' provides the play's most divisive moment
In the scene which has proved most inflammatory of all amongst royalists, the late Diana (played by actress returns as a ghost, appearing in the throne room of Buckingham Palace to tell her ex husband 'You think I didn't love you. It's not true.'
For late actor Pigott-Smith, the scene was an 'incredibly painful' one, telling The Times that it would be 'terribly upsetting for any of [the royal family] to watch. For Charles or William or Harry it would be agonising to watch. That upsets me. But I don't think we've done anything unreasonable or cruel.'
His on-screen and stage son, Oliver Chris, agreed, telling the Radio Times that the scene is 'done with enough intelligence and sensitivity not to be gratuitous.'
When does it air?
You can catch King Charles III on BBC Two on Wednesday 10th May at 9pm, and it'll be available to watch on demand on BBC iPlayer for the following month.
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