Prince Charles is worried about Netflix again, and this time his concern isn't entirely centered around The Crown. While the dramatization of the royal family, which is preparing to release its fifth season later in 2022, is likely always high on the list of things that frustrate Buckingham Palace, Prince Charles has another Netflix-backed project that's creating problems for him.
The documentary Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story in part examines the relationship between the late British TV personality, a known predator, and Charles himself.
The documentary is about Jimmy Savile, the former host of a number of British shows, including Top of the Pops, who reportedly assaulted and molested children as young as 2 years old. While Prince Charles was not the only person of note who was friendly with Savile, the two had a friendship that has been described as close, and the new documentary dives into the celebrity and royal connections and friendships Savile had.
The documentary also claims to have uncovered notes passed between Prince Charles and Savile that reveal the future king of England asked for advice from the predator on more than one occasion. Director Rowan Deacon claims that Savile even helped the royal family come up with a strategy for responding to disastrous events.
Deacon explains, "Jimmy Savile wrote this dossier, quite an in-depth document of advice, on how the Queen should behave and how members of the royal family should not be in competition with each other."
Deacon goes on to add that Prince Charles reportedly wrote back, "I attach a copy of my memo on disasters, which incorporates your points and which I showed to my father. He showed it to [the Queen].
The timing of the documentary is particularly problematic for the family, as they are still contending with the conclusion of Prince Andrew's own rape and assault trial and Prince William and Kate Middleton's less-than-fantastic Caribbean trip. A source told the Daily Mail that the royal mood isn't upbeat. "Why now? This has been known for years. It’s easy to think this has been timed for maximum damage."
Anger seems to be directed at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, too. As the source said: "Of course, there is a feeling that the Savile documentary is unfortunate and very unfair on the Prince of Wales, given everyone in authority, including the prime minister of the time, was taken in by him. But the biggest amount of anger is reserved for the fact Netflix is a broadcaster that now employs his son and the Sussexes don’t appear to have said a word about this. It feels like yet another betrayal."
And this isn't the only royals-related programming Netflix offers right now. The Daily Mail writes, "But the damaging Savile documentary — promoted to British newspapers solely around the disgraced BBC presenter’s friendship with Charles — comes hot on the heels of the grotesque Diana: The Musical, amid a feeling that Netflix is increasingly looking to broadcast ever more provocative content about the British Royal Family."
Ultimately, things this year could conclude in an uncomfortable way for Prince Charles and his family. The fifth season of The Crown, which debuts in November 2022, will cover the 1997 death of Princess Diana. As the Mail notes, staff at the palace are "braced" for what could turn out to be an intensely negative period for the family as a whole.
