Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and author of several royal biographies, said she thought The Crown was “pretty inaccurate”. However, she added that the Netflix drama “never pretended” it was going to be. She particularly picked out Princess Margaret as not being a fair portrayal of her, based on her own experiences of the royal.
Pod Save the Queen is hosted by Ann Gripper and features Daily Mirror royal editor Russell Myers.
In the podcast’s The Crown special last week, Mirror Online lifestyle editor Zoe Forsey interviewed Ms Seward about the show.
Ms Seward said: “The character of Princess Margaret is absolutely not what I saw of Princess Margaret.
“I didn’t like the way they seemed to have her and the Queen at loggerheads.
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Princess Margaret and the Queen are often seen in conflict in The Crown (Image: Getty / Netflix)
Princess Margaret and Princess Elizabeth (now the Queen) when they were young (Image: GETTY)
“They were always so close and really supportive of each other.
“But, of course, it makes a better story to have them at loggerheads.
“I mean, I’m not criticising the writer, I’m just saying you have to watch it, but not believe it.”
The Crown season four, which was released last month and covered controversial topics like Margaret Thatcher’s premiership and the marriage between Prince Charles and Princess Diana, has triggered a discussion about historical accuracy.
Ingrid Seward claimed the Queen and Margaret were actually very supportive of each other (Image: GETTY)
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the series should be more transparent that, while many plotlines are based on actual events, the writers took considerable artistic license when portraying events that happened behind closed doors.
He insisted that there should be a disclaimer at the beginning of each episode emphasising this fact.
Mr Dowden said: “Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just [fiction].”
The relationship between Princess Margaret and the Queen has been a running theme through all four seasons of The Crown.
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Olivia Colman as the Queen in The Crown (Image: GETTY)
In season one, their relationship is put to the test when Margaret wants to marry a divorced man, forcing the Queen to try and negotiate this with an unwilling Cabinet and Church of England.
In the end, Margaret is told she would be struck from the line of succession if she were to marry Group Captain Peter Townsend and she is devastated but breaks off their relationship.
Her resentment towards the Queen over this unfortunate series of events is something the pair appear to never get over.
In season two, tension arises again when Margaret has to wait to announce her engagement to Antony Armstrong-Jones because the Queen is pregnant.
Season three sees the breakdown of Margaret’s marriage and her fling with Roddy Llewellyn.
Season four sees the sisters once again in conflict when Margaret requests to be given a larger role within the Royal Family, only to be told she is being bumped off the list of Counsellors of State by the now of-age Prince Edward.
According to Ms Seward, to be accurate, this should also have been peppered with far more tender moments between the “supportive” sisters.
However, she acknowledged that the show is a TV drama and is portraying intimate moments for which they could not possibly have known what was said.
The Queen and Margaret were not at loggerheads, according to a royal expert (Image: GETTY)
She said: “I think because I suppose I’m something of a royal anorak, I think it’s pretty inaccurate.
“To my mind, it never pretended it was going to be accurate, that’s the problem.”
Another character she thought was not portrayed well in the show is Prince Philip, especially when acted by Matt Smith in the first two seasons.
Ms Seward said the way he moved was not right and that he was “too distant” with the Queen.
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