The interest in the British Royal Family has manifested in myriad of TV shows and movies. That’s not forgetting the countless mentions or references.
To date, “The Favourite”, “Victoria”, “The Speech”, “Mary Queen of Scots”, “The Queen”, “Reign”, “The Tudors” and “The Windsors”, are some of the more prominent offerings made.
Of course, the series that got the most reaction was Peter Morgan’s historical drama, “The Crown”.
His fictionalised account hit too close to the bone and the tremors of discontent were felt outside The House of Windsor.
The fourth season seemed to rile the most.
Towards the latter part of last year, HBO announced “The Prince”, an animated series inspired by Prince George and featuring other members of the Royal family.
The series by Gary Janetti, who gave us the Emmy award-winning hit, “Family Guy”, piqued curiosity as it was pegged as a satire.
And Hollywood’s A-listers were secured for the voice-overs.
They include Gary Janetti as Prince George, Orlando Bloom as Prince Harry, Condola Rashād as Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Lucy Punch as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Alan Cumming as Owen, Frances de la Tour as Elizabeth II, Iwan Rheon as Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Sophie Turner as Princess Charlotte. Dan Stevens also does the voice-over of Prince Charles and the Duke of Edinburgh.
Following the release of the trailer, the network received a fair amount of flak.
In an article on Hollywood Reporter, the creators were accused of taking “cheap shots” and many were concerned about the impact the show could have on the young prince.
In the same story, a producer at Disney Studios said: 'It's one thing for film-makers to play fast and loose with the truth in shows like ‘The Crown’ but poking fun at a seven-year-old child seems cruel and unfair.”
The clip in question has Prince George, perched on a throne, saying: “'Hey guys, it's me, Prince George… I know self-isolating is difficult and we're all sick of being stuck in the same 775 rooms, or, you know, studio apartment, it's different for everyone.
“Stay positive and be nice to your serving staff. They're doing the best they can, even though lunch ******* sucked today.”
Of course, the focus was then hijacked by “CBS Presents Oprah with Meghan and Harry”, a two-hour tell-all, where Meghan Markle and Prince Harry revealed some shocking details about life as a royal.
The outrage that followed was felt far and wide shortly after. It caused a huge divide between fans of the British monarchy and its harshest critics.
A truce of sorts was forged after the passing of Prince Phillip on April 9. Prince Harry attended the funeral and, as indicated in several news reports, attempted to heal recent wounds with the family.
In the meantime, HBO Max decided to put the laughter on the backburner and have announced a later release date for “The Prince”.
HBO Max has been trending this year for their edgier adult animations with “Invincible” currently making all sorts of noise and bowling critics over.
Of course, the decision to reschedule the show does seem to have less to do with them being respectful and more to do with a fear of backlash.
Let’s just say that their depiction of the late Duke of Edinburgh is not flattering. The character, voiced by Stevens, is a bit of a buffoon.
Perhaps, this will buy them some time to reconsider the character development.
Given the fallout over the trailer, it would be a judicious move to make the necessary tweaks, especially with the Royal jibes so free-flowing in the script.
Is this a case of TV going too far in blurring the lines between fact and fiction for entertainment purposes?
Maybe HBO Max would have faired better rebooting “Richie Rich”.