The Crown, Scoop Star Gillian Anderson: ‘Give Royals A Break’

One of the stars of The Crown believes the show should not be revived, and that the health battles of Kate Middleton and King Charles should not be brought to screen.

The Sun newspaper quotes Gillian Anderson, who played British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in the award-winning Netflix drama, saying: “It probably ended at the right spot. It was getting too close to present day.”

Specifically, regarding this year’s events which have seen both King Charles and his daughter-in-law Kate Middleton share that they are having cancer treatment, Anderson said:

“Right now, it’s a moment where we understand that they have asked for a bit of peace and quiet around what they’re experiencing — and it feels like that’s the least that we can do.

“I think in this instance with this latest double whammy of news, the least that people can do, is to give them a bit of a break and for them to process this as the human beings that they actually are.”

The Crown finished in 2023 after six seasons, the narrative coming to a close with the 2005 wedding of the then Prince Charles to his partner Camilla Parker-Bowles. The final series was criticised by some for its storyline concerning the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Anderson also stars in Scoop, Netflix’s drama telling how the BBC’s Newsnight team secured the interview with Prince Andrew, in which he defended his friendship with shamed entrepreneur Jeffrey Epstein. The interview, which was conducted in 2019, sparked a backlash against the prince, who then withdrew from public life, and earned numerous awards for its forensic journalism. Prince Andrew is played by Rufus Sewell in the drama, with Anderson playing BBC journalist Emily Maitlis.