Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, fears people could forget The Crown is ‘fiction’ not history

Princess Diana
Princess Diana's brother has concerns over The Crown's depiction of his sister
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Charles, Earl Spencer, has revealed he was approached by the creators of The Crown to use the family’s Althorp Estate in Northamptonshire but refused as he fear people will forget the Netflix show is “fiction”.

Charles Spencer is Princess Diana's brother

Earl Spencer refused to let The Crown bosses film at the Spencer estate 

(Image credit: Getty)

The Princess of Wales’ brother, Charles Spencer, has condemned the latest series of The Crown’s depiction of his sister. 

Speaking to Alan Titchmarsh on Love Your Weekend, which will air tomorrow, Earl Spencer said he feels “uneasy” when watching the show. 

He said, “There is a bit. Actually, The Crown asked if they could film at Althorp and I said obviously not.

The worry for me is that people see a programme like that and they forget that it is fiction. They assume, especially foreigners...

Althorp House is the Spencer estate

The Crown bosses wanted to film at Althorp 

(Image credit: Getty)

“I find Americans tell me they have watched The Crown as if they have taken a history lesson. Well, they haven't.”

While Peter Morgan, creator of The Crown, bases the Netflix series on fact, parts of it have been dramatised for effect.

And Princess Diana’s brother fears people forget that The Crown is fiction. 

“It is very hard, there is a lot of conjecture and a lot of invention, isn't there? You can hang it on fact but the bits in between are not fact,” he explained.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana in Season 4 of The Crown

Series four of The Crown sheds light on Princess Diana and Prince Charles' relationship 

(Image credit: Des Willie/ Netflix)

With Diana having tragically passed away in a car accident in 1997, Charles feels a “duty” to protect her legacy. 

“I feel it is my duty to stand up for her when I can. She left me for instance as guardian of her sons etc, so I feel there was a trust passed on.

“And we grew up together, you know if you grow up with somebody they are still that person, it doesn't matter what happens to them later. So yeah, I feel very passionately that I have a role to honour her memory.”

Love Your Weekend will be shown on Sunday, November 22 on ITV at 10am

Georgia Farquharson

Georgia writes across Woman & Home and Good to Know and specialises in all things royal. Previously labelled the "Queen of the royals," Georgia knows the whose who and what's what when it comes to the monarchy. When she's not eagerly following the royal family, Georgia enjoys shopping and self-care. She lives with this motto in mind; "if your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough."