NETFLIX has been accused of “corporate trolling” after posting a “sinister” tweet plugging a documentary that promises to answer criticism over The Crown.
The streaming giant tweeted a clip from its documentary Diana: In Her Own Words – telling fans it “answers much of what youre asking”.
Netflix posted a video of a documentary about Diana, saying it would provide viewers with ‘answers’
Netflix shared this tweet saying a Diana documentary answers viewers’ questions
There are concerns that viewers believe every scene in The Crown is trueCredit: Netflix
But senior palace figures hit out at the tweet – which has sparked a number of cruel jibes at the Royal Family in reply – saying it was “corporate trolling”.
Netflix’s popular series The Crown has recently seen a wave of criticism towards the Royals in the way Princess Diana was treated.
But many figures – including the Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden – have called for the series to remind viewers that it is a work of fiction.
There are concerns that some of the fictional scenes written by the The Crown’s creator Peter Morgan are doing damage to the monarchy because viewers believe they are true.
While the show is loosely based on historical events, there are many fictional aspects to it, including the false suggestion that the affair between Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles continued throughout his marriage to Diana.
And Netflix’s Twitter account this week appeared to address some of the criticism, posting a link to their documentary with the message “The documentary DIANA: IN HER OWN WORDS answers much of what youre asking”.
In the clip, audio from Princess Diana is played talking to writer Andrew Morton as she reveals Prince Charles and Camilla’s relationship “broke (her) heart”.
She can also be heard talking about being left devastated when her then future husband bought Camilla a bracelet, saying the future king was “hot and cold” in their own relationship.
But a palace insider accused Netflix of using its social media channels to continue sharing “sinister” messages.
The source told the Daily Mail: “Its one thing to make a drama that not even the writer claims is entirely factual, but for Netflix to use its corporate social channels to create and post material that is one-sided at best feels like corporate trolling its pretty sinister.”
Prince Charles and Camilla at a polo match in 1975
The documentary featured was ‘Diana: In Her Own Words’
The film features personal recordings of the late Princess and archival footage
The tweet has also attracted a string of vile messages directed toward the Queen, Prince Philip, Charles and Camilla.
One person wrote: “I just hope the Queen will be reasonable enough to not pass on the throne to Charles. It will surely be disgusting to know that a mistress will soon be a Queen.”
Another posted: “Camilla and Charles are rotten people. I can’t stand them!!! They are really phoney!!! I don’t think of Charles as a prince, he is an a******. So is Camilla. He doesn’t deserve to be king.”
Many others were too vile to print.
According to the Mail Online, the comments were allegedly alerted to Netflix “more than 24 hours ago” and as of now, they remain online.
Conservative Lord Forsyth of Drumlean accused the US streaming giant of “crossing a line”.
He said he would raise the issue in the House of Lords and with the Prime Minister directly.
The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall have received hate on the Twitter postCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Tweets underneath the post call the Prince of Wales ‘phoney’Credit: Twitter
‘A mistress will soon be a Queen’ one person tweeted underneath the videoCredit: Twitter
On December 3, he wrote to the broadcasting watchdog Ofcom to complain of the “hurtful, false, misleading and poisonous impression of people in our public life who cannot fight back.”
Lord Forsyth called for Netflix to be regulated in the UK like other broadcasters that operate in Britain.
He said: “What they are doing is absolutely shocking. It is mendacious and it is untrue.
“And as every day goes by without any action on the issue, more and more people are seeing this programme, and unfortunately people believe this stuff to be fact.
“If Netflix are also using a corporate account in that way [to deliberately publicise negative programmes about the Royal Family] then the case for regulation is even stronger.”
He added: “They [Netflix] cant continue to say, This is drama, this is not our fault’.
“They are clearly using a programme which is sensationalist and mendacious to promote their commercial interests.
“The royals do not have a right to reply. This is damaging, nasty and unpleasant stuff.”
Last week a friend of Prince Charles called Netflix’s portrayal of the Royal Family “highly sophisticated propaganda”.
A friend of Prince Charles is reported to have said: “It is quite sinister the way that Morgan is clearly using light entertainment to drive a very overt republican agenda and people just dont see it.
“They have been lured in over the first few series until they cant see how they are being manipulated.
“It is highly sophisticated propaganda.”
The fourth series of The Crown, which was released earlier this month, portrays Princess Diana’s eating disorder and Prince Charles’ affair with the then Camilla Parker Bowles.
As her marriage to the heir to the throne crumbles, Diana, played by Emma Corrin, 24, is seen violently vomiting into a toilet on multiple occasions.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has demanded Netflix make clear that The Crown is “fiction” and is said to be writing to the production.
He said: “It’s a beautifully produced work of fiction so as with other TV productions, Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just that.
“Without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact.”
Mr Dowden is expected to write to the streaming service to request that it adds what others have called a “health warning” to the start of each of the ten episodes.
Netflix and Buckingham Palace been contacted for comment.
Creator and writer of The Crown Peter Morgan has always claimed the show as ‘fiction’Credit: Netflix
The fourth season of Netflix hit The Crown has stirred controversy in Britain where its treatment of the heir to the throne, Prince CharlesCredit: AFP
Princes Charles and Princess Diana look visibly distant while in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 1989Credit: AFP
Sun Royal photographer Arthur Edwards on what The Crown gets wrong about Prince Charles and Princess Diana
- Palace insider accuses Netflix of ‘trolling’ the Royals with ‘sinister’ tweet promising ‘answers’ to The Crown  The Sun
- Royal insider says Netflix feed hate against Charles and Camilla after Diana documentary trailer  Daily Mail
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