THE UK’S HEALTH Secretary has indicated he will write to Netflix over its series The Crown because he feels it should make clear that much of its content is fiction.

Oliver Dowden said he fears that damage could be done to the image of British royal family without the warning.

He is expected to formally write to the US streaming company to request it adds a “health warning” before each episode of the acclaimed series.

“It’s a beautifully produced work of fiction, so as with other TV productions, Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just that,” he told The Mail on Sunday today.

“Without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact”.

The latest episode in the series, which follows the life of Queen Elizabeth II and her close family, revolves around Prince Charles and his doomed marriage to wife Diana.

Those close to the royal family reportedly fear that fabricated scenes are hurting the monarchy, particularly heir to the throne Prince Charles.

“It is quite sinister the way that [screenwriter Peter] Morgan is clearly using light entertainment to drive a very overt republican agenda and people just don’t see it,” an unnamed friend of the prince told The Mail on Sunday.

The friend added: “They have been lured in over the first few series until they can’t see how they are being manipulated. It is highly sophisticated propaganda.”

Although the series is largely sympathetic to Diana, her brother has also called for Netflix to make clear some scenes are fictional.

“It would help The Crown an enormous amount if at the beginning of each episode it stated that, ‘this isn’t true but is based around some real events’. Because then everyone would understand it’s drama for drama’s sake,” Charles Spencer told ITV.

More than 70 million households worldwide have watched The Crown, which is now on its fourth series, since it began in 2016, according to figures released by Netflix.

© AFP 2020