Dolores Umbridge and Queen Elizabeth II
On Wednesday, Netflix released The Crown Season Five, which garnered a lot of mixed reviews from its viewers.
The Crown is a Netflix-original drama that features the life of Queen Elizabeth II, the former monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Written and produced by Peter Morgan, Netflix released its first season in November 2016.
Carolyn Harris, author of Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting once told Parade.com that “the series is a blend of fact and fiction, inspired by true events.”
Imelda Staunton plays the Queen in the new fifth season. She is the same actress who portrayed the villain Dolores Umbridge in The Harry Potter series. As a consequence, people had a hard time distinguishing her between the two characters.
Dolores Umbridge and Queen Elizabeth II
“As a Potterhead, it just feels weird to me that Dolores Umbridge is the Queen of England. It’s fictional! Yeah, I get that. It just feels bizarre,” a 23 year old guy from the Upper West Side told NY Art Life.
“Watching the new season’s first episode, I can’t believe Umbridge is Her Royal Highness,” a person who declined to reveal their identity also told us.
In the series’ season four, the series introduced new characters. It introduced Margaret Thatcher, United Kingdom’s first female prime minister, and Princess Diana, then-Prince Charles’ wife.
“Queen Victoria Syndrome” is Season Five’s first episode. In this opening episode, we get to see Prince Charles (now, King Charles III) and Princess Diana trying to maintain a normal family life image. Every day, they check the daily newspapers to see if the media presents them as a normal family despite their issues. In this new season, viewers see the first appearance of the couple’s kids, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Princess Diana
Actor Dominic West plays the role of Prince Charles while Elizabeth Debicki plays Princess Diana. Since 2016, Debicki has been playing Princess Diana. Viewers admire her on-point portrayal of the late princess.
“I wish Princess Di didn’t leave the world too early. She’s a real icon. I was born in 1998 so I’m sad that I never got to see her alive,” Olivia, 24, told NY Art Life.
“I’m literally gobsmacked about Debicki’s acting! She’s such a genius,” Irish girl Emily informed us.
Truly, Diana is “the people’s princess.”
The Crown’s Season Five premiered just two months after Queen Elizabeth II’s passing at 96 years old.
It’s ironic how it premiered when Prince Charles, recently became King Charles, as in the series, he was just trying to oust his mother from the throne in 1991.
Amelia, a 39-year-old British woman living in the Upper East Side, tells New York Art Life how she misses the late monarch. “Season Five made me miss the Queen again. I miss everyone’s grandmother. Everyone looked up to her.”
On the other hand, The Guardian, Britain’s newspaper, expressed disappointment over the new season. “Season five of The Crown now arrives as the first to be shown since its protagonist’s death – and the show itself feels as if its time has come and gone,” it said. “These new episodes are bitty and often just boring,” it also remarked.
Did you already watch The Crown Season Five? What do you think of Imelda Staunton’s Queen Elizabeth II portrayal? Are you ready for Princess Diana’s death in the series? Let us know in the comments below!
