The Crown star Dominic West says Charles was judged too harshly in wake of Diana’s death: Actor says King was treated like the ‘bad guy of the piece’ but he has ‘real affection for him’
Charles was judged too harshly when Princess Diana died, claims actor Dominic West, who played him in The Crown.
The 54-year-old star, who took on the role of the Prince of Wales in the last two series of the Netflix show, believes history should be kinder to the current king, who he says has “made every mistake ‘.
Mr West, previously best known for his role as Jimmy McNulty in The Wire, believes Charles was seen as a ‘bad guy’ after his ex-wife died with Dodi Fayed on the night of August 30.
He said: ‘I love him. I feel real affection for him’.
In season six, which premiered last month and released its final episodes last week, Charles breaks down in tears when he learns of his ex-wife’s death in Paris. He then defied his mother and insisted that the royal plane be sent to France to collect her coffin, sobbing loudly when he first saw her body at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital.
Mr West said: ‘You do feel sympathy for him. I think, especially around Diana’s death, he was the villain of the piece. And I think now that we’ve had 25 years of retrospection to look back on, we might – I certainly do – see that as a bit harsh on him.”
Dominic West says he will miss playing Charles now that The Crown is over, and believes he was treated harshly over the death of Diana, played by Elizabeth Debicki
Debicki as Diana with her sons William and Harry in the show
The final moments of Princess Diana’s life, before the fatal car crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris, are depicted in the final series of The Crown
Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William, Earl Spencer, Prince Harry and Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales follow the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997
Speak with The Hollywood Reporter, West said, “I fight for him like you do as an actor for any character, except maybe the most villainous one. Inevitably you try to get into the mind of your character and that requires some kind of sense of common humanity and empathy.’
He said he has grown to love playing Charles on the show, and admits he is sad to see the role end.
In an interview with City and country he said, ‘I miss him. I still read all the news articles about him. I love him. I feel real affection for him, which I didn’t really feel before,” adding, “He’s likeable, but also an interesting character.”
He referred to recent events, such as Charles’ anger when his pen stopped working after the Queen died.
“It’s hard not to bring the current man into the historical man, or even the real man into Peter Morgan’s version of him. But it was a wonderful gift to have all that coronation stuff and the pen – the irritation about the pen. You don’t get much insight into what’s going on behind the public persona. So I eagerly devoured all those moments. They really are gold dust for an actor.”
He added: “He has made every mistake. He’s been through it all, it’s as bad as it gets. And it’s grilled as hard as it could possibly be. And so I imagine, as with so much in his life, that there is a certain determination now that he is king. I think there is some relief, probably, that he is no longer allowed to be political or outspoken.”
He added: “He landed on his feet – or with a crown on his head, more accurately.”
The latest series of The Crown has proven controversial and received mixed reviews, from its portrayal of Diana’s death to Charles’ marriage to Camilla and the Queen’s existential crisis over the future of the monarchy.
The Crown looks at Diana’s romance with Dodi – played by Khalid Abdalla
There are also a series of bizarre dream sequences in which senior royals, including the Queen and Charles, speak to the late princess, played by Elizabeth Debicki, after her death.
Harry’s shame about wearing a Nazi uniform to a party has been gleefully recreated by Netflix in the very last episode of The Crown.
But in this case, the prince’s close relationship with the streaming service seems to be paying off. Harry, who reportedly has an £80million production deal with Netflix, notably shies away from criticizing the series’ increasingly cartoonish storylines.
The on-screen portrayal of his Nazi debacle seems to stick close to his own memory of the incident in his memoir Spare. In the book, Harry took little responsibility for his actions, essentially blaming Prince William and his then-girlfriend Kate for turning him on.
The Crown has the trio – played by Ed McVey, Luther Ford and Meg Bellamy – in a costume shop in the Cotswolds, planning the ‘natives and colonials’ themed party.
While William goes like a lion, his younger brother doesn’t know what to do until he comes across a uniform of the Afrika Korps – Rommel’s troops in North Africa – complete with swastika armband. ‘Germany had an empire, didn’t it?’ he asks on the spot. “What about this one?” “I don’t know,” Kate answers. “Maybe cover the swastika?” But William comes to defend his brother.
“Oh come on. Wearing this outfit doesn’t make him a Nazi. Isn’t that the joke?’ he adds. In the mirror, a cheerful Harry, then twenty years old, gives the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute as he makes his choice.
Harry’s shame about wearing a Nazi uniform to a party has been gleefully recreated by Netflix in the very last episode of The Crown
The Crown has the trio – played by Ed McVey, Luther Ford and Meg Bellamy – in a costume shop in the Cotswolds, making plans for the ‘natives and colonials’ theme party
At the party, hosted by Olympic show jumper Richard Meade, Harry is photographed by two shocked guests who sell the photos to The Sun.
The royal family is then shown watching the front pages in horror, while the young prince shouts obscenities as he realizes his mistake. In a later scene, the two brothers argue with their father over dinner about the scandal.
“You were all for the uniform and egged me on,” Harry snapped. ‘Suddenly you are Mr. Morality. Stabbing me in the back… How many faces does this man have?’ William then says, “I’m not sure I like who you’re turning into.”
“I’m not sure I like who you’ve been,” Harry replies angrily.
In Spare it is not suggested that William and Kate were ever in the fancy dress shop at the same time. But Harry is very much portraying himself as a victim, claiming the pair promised to help him find a suitable outfit.
The prince says he called them to discuss his options, explaining it was a trade-off between wearing the uniform of an RAF pilot or a Nazi.
He wrote: ‘I called Willy and Kate and asked what they thought. Nazi uniform, they said.’ He describes how he took it home and tried it on for them – with a “real Hitler” mustache on it – and “they both cried.”
He said William was “sympathetic” about the ensuing commotion, but “there wasn’t much to say.” His father was surprisingly understanding, but a public apology was deemed necessary.
The Crown’s award-winning writer Peter Morgan has insisted he has read ‘not a word’ of Spare, adding: ‘I didn’t want his voice to shape my thinking too much’.