6 Royal Controversies ‘The Crown’ Needs to Return For
It has now been a decade since Netflix introduced the royally fascinating TV series The Crown. The Emmy-wining production, which premiered on November 4, 2016, dramatized more than half a century of highs and lows for the British monarchy, with various actors playing Queen Elizabeth II and husband Prince Philip, their son Prince Charles (now King Charles III), and other members of the royal family.
By the end of the sixth and final season, The Crown had caught up to events of mid-2000s, but since then, the British royals have been the fulcrum of several controversies. And we’d definitely watch a seventh season if any of these snafus are depicted.
2004–2018: Princess Michael of Kent’s alleged racist behavior
Princess Michael of Kent, wife of Elizabeth’s first cousin Prince Michael of Kent, has spurred accusations of racism over the years. In 2004, for example, she allegedly told a group of Black diners at a New York City restaurant to “go back to the colonies,” per The Independent. (A spokesperson called that report “simply untrue.”)
In 2017, Princess Michael wore a brooch observers deemed racist to a Christmas lunch with Meghan Markle, then newly engaged to Prince Harry, at Buckingham Palace, per The Guardian. (A spokesperson said the process was “very sorry and distressed that it has caused offense.”)
And in 2018, her daughter Gabriella’s ex Aatish Taseer said in a Vanity Fair article that Princess Michael owned a pair of black sheep she named Venus and Serena. (A spokesperson told the Daily Mail there would be “no comment on the story.”)
2010: Sarah Ferguson’s cash-for-access sting
Sarah Ferguson, ex-wife of the former Prince Andrew, issued a public apology in 2010 after the News of the World tabloid reported it had filmed her offering to sell access to the prince in return for £500,000, then worth $720,000.
“I very deeply regret the situation and the embarrassment caused,” Ferguson said, per NBC News. “It is true that my financial situation is under stress — however, that is no excuse for a serious lapse in judgment, and I am very sorry that this has happened. I can confirm that the Duke of York was not aware or involved in any of the discussions that occurred. I am sincerely sorry for my actions.”
2020: Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s exit
Harry and Meghan surprised the world in 2020 when they announced they would step back from their senior roles in the royal family and work to become financially independent.
In a highly-publicized interview with Oprah Winfrey the following year, the couple opened up about their time as royals. Meghan told Winfrey royal life had become so difficult that she sometimes “didn’t want to be alive anymore,” and she alleged one royal family member asked “how dark” their son’s skin might be, per BBC News. Harry, meanwhile, said that his family had cut off their financial support at the beginning of 2020 and that his father, Charles, had stopped taking his calls. And the prince also said racism in the British media was a large part of why he and Meghan decided to leave the U.K. and live in the U.S.
(The couple later returned to the U.K. in a surprise decision in 20226, no doubt a saga all its own.)
2025–2026: Andrew’s title revocation and arrest
Charles’ younger brother Andrew Albert Christian Edward Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly titled Prince Andrew, has only become more mired in scandal since the disastrous 2019 TV interview that inspired a TV show and a movie.
In 2022, for example, Andrew settled a civil lawsuit by Virginia Giuffre, who had accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager at properties owned by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein or his associates, according to Reuters. Elizabeth took away Andrew’s military links and royal patronages in 2022, and then Charles stripped of his titles and honors in 2025. And earlier this year, Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations that he sent confidential government documents to Epstein, per Reuters. Andrew, who denied wrongdoing in his association with Epstein, was later released from custody.
2024: Kategate & Catherine’s disappearance from the public eye
In the months-long saga known as “Kategate,” Princess Catherine stepped away from public appearances in early 2024, leading to conspiracy theories about her whereabouts. To the surprise of the British public, Kensington Palace announced in January 2024 that Kate had a “planned abdominal surgery,” and it was two months before Kate made her first official public appearance, via social media, telling well-wishers that the January operation revealed cancer for which she received preventative chemotherapy.
During that timeout from her royal duties, however, Kate also spurred controversy by posting a family photo that was revealed to have been digitally altered and subsequently redacted by the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Getty Images, and Reuters, per InStyle.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she said in an online apology. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day.”
That same month came another controversy, as The Mirror reported The London Clinic had launched an investigation into allegations at least one staff member tried to access her private medical records.
2020s: Harry’s falling-out with William and Charles
It’s no palace secret that Harry isn’t on good terms with Charles and his brother, Prince William. In his memoir and in various interviews, Harry has alleged that William called Markle “abrasive” at one point and pushed him to the ground during a 2019 altercation, that the royals did not invite him on the family plane to see Elizabeth on her deathbed, and that every time he tried to have private conversations with his father and brother, he’d see negative press about himself and Markle in the press, according to TIME.
Harry told GQ in an interview in 2026 that he “of course” mourns the breakdown of his relationship with his father and brother and “of course” wants to work things out with them. “With everything else that’s going on in the world, the most important thing is to reconcile,” he added. “That’s the key point.”
In other words, the story of the royal family in England is absolutely still full of drama worthy of The Crown to this day.
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