The royal family has been depicted on TV shows countless times in recent decades. Whether it's award-winning dramas like Netflix's smash-hit series The Crown, or satirical programmes such as The Royals and, more recently, South Park, various members of the royal family have been fictionalised and shown to the masses.
And while many news outlets have speculated about the various reactions of said portrayals, the royals embrace their ongoing mantra of "never complain, never explain" by not taking action, legal or otherwise. But why not?
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were recently depicted in South Park
Earlier this month, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle found themselves at the centre of a South Park episode. The comedy series mocked the royal couple and depicted them as characters going on a "Worldwide privacy tour." Since the episode dropped, reports have speculated about Meghan and Harry's reaction and implied they would take legal action.
However, various PR experts have suggested this would only backfire. More importantly, a statement from the Sussex household suggests such speculation is "baseless".
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The comedy series was not complimentary to the royal couple
While the episode was not complimentary to the pair, a spokesperson confirmed that any suggestion of them being "furious" about the show was untrue. "It's all frankly nonsense," a representative for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told the Guardian, adding: "Totally baseless, boring reports."
However, previous instances have seen the royals get upset about other TV shows. This was the case with Prince Philip regarding an episode in series two of The Crown that showed a fictionalised account of his sister, Princess Cecilie, who died in a plane crash on her way to England.
According to royal expert, Hugo Vickers, the late Duke of Edinburgh was hurt by the drama's implication that he was somehow to blame. However, no action was taken. Take a look at the video below to see Prince Philip's on-screen portrayal talk about the death of his sister in The Crown...
WATCH: The Crown dramatises the death of Prince Philip's sister
Meanwhile, the royals haven't only been portrayed by on-screen characters with A-List Hollywood names playing them. The 1969 BBC film, Royal Family, gave audiences a metaphorical seat at the family's breakfast table and showed a glimpse of how the dynamics of the most famous family in the world worked.
For the royals, however, this documentary was better forgotten and Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip subsequently went to great lengths to ensure it was never broadcast again. But in recent decades, taking action against fictitious portrayals, whether reports suggest they want to or not, has not been standard.
Various royal family members have admitted to enjoying The Crown
To contrast, stories of the family enjoying fictionalised royal drama have gone down very well with fans. One heartwarming story was relayed by Vanessa Kirby, who played Princess Margaret in the first two seasons of The Crown. The actress explained she was told that Princess Eugenie allegedly revealed to a mutual friend that the late Queen had enjoyed watching the Peter Morgan-created drama.
And not forgetting Prince Harry who, in 2021, told Oprah Winfrey how he and Meghan had also sat down to watch some episodes of The Crown.
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