Judi Dench says The Crown is 'cruelly unjust,' calls for disclaimer at start of episodes

When it comes to The Crown, Dame Judi Dench is royally peeved.

In a strongly worded open letter to the British newspaper The Times, the Oscar-winning actress blasts the Netflix series for its "crude sensationalism" and "inaccurate and harmful account of history."

Dench's letter comes on the heels of former Prime Minister John Major referring to a purported scene in the upcoming fifth season — which is said to depict Prince Charles (Dominic West) lobbying the PM to force his mother's abdication — as a "barrel-load of nonsense."

"Sir John Major is not alone in his concerns that the latest series of The Crown will present an inaccurate and hurtful account of history," Dench wrote. "Indeed, the closer the drama comes to our present times, the more freely it seems willing to blur the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism."

Dench went on to call for Netflix to add a disclaimer to the beginning of episodes, fearing that audiences will take the show's depiction of events as historical fact and not a dramatization. "While many will recognise The Crown for the brilliant but fictionalised account of events that it is, I fear that a significant number of viewers, particularly overseas, may take its version of history as being wholly true," she added. "This is both cruelly unjust to the individuals and damaging to the institution they represent."

The actress specifically called out the aforementioned abdication scene, as well as the show's supposition that Queen Elizabeth II's parenting was so deficient as to merit jail time.

"No one is a greater believer in artistic freedom than I, but this cannot go unchallenged," Dench continued. "Despite this week stating publicly that The Crown has always been a 'fictionalised drama' the programme makers have resisted all calls for them to carry a disclaimer at the start of each episode."

Dench's indignation seems to particularly stem from the recent death of Queen Elizabeth II, after 70 years of rule. Her letter concluded by pleading for the disclaimer as a sign of respect to the late monarch.

"The time has come for Netflix to reconsider — for the sake of a family and a nation so recently bereaved, as a mark of respect to a sovereign who served her people so dutifully for 70 years, and to preserve its reputation in the eyes of its British subscribers," Dench wrote.

Dench herself has played British monarchs before (though not Queen Elizabeth II), earning an Oscar for her portrayal of Elizabeth I in Shakespeare and Love and playing Queen Victoria twice (in Mrs. Brown and Victoria and Abdul). She has been nominated for eight Oscars but is perhaps best known to American audiences for her lengthy stint as M in the James Bond franchise.

As the Nov. 9 premiere of The Crown season 5 approaches and King Charles continues to find his footing in his new role, the palace appears to be on high alert.

Various reports have suggested the palace is taking steps to protect the King's reputation as the new season is billed as portraying Diana and Charles' marriage and divorce as vitriolic (indeed, EW's latest cover carries the headline "Crown Duel"). Britain's Daily Telegraph published an article with the headline "The Crown's decision to show 'all-out' war between Charles and Diana raises concerns at Palace."

Netflix has responded to such complaints with a statement: "The Crown has always been presented as a drama based on historical events. Series Five is a fictional dramatisation, imagining what could have happened behind closed doors during a significant decade for the royal family — one that has been scrutinised and well-documented by journalists, biographers and historians."

Though Dench is known to have a close relationship with both Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, the queen consort, she told The Times that no one at the palace prompted her to write the open letter.

Related content:

• Battle royal: The Crown's Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki on portraying Charles and Diana's bitter divorce
• The Crown's Elizabeth Debicki says Diana's final days are being handled with sensitivity
• Why The Crown's Dominic West first turned down Prince Charles role