Will we see Harry and Meghan in Netflix’s ‘The Crown’?

The Crown has condensed decades of royal history into three fascinating seasons of television. The revered Netflix drama is set to return on November 15, and given the introduction of Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki) in the upcoming season, some fans have pondered whether they will get to see Meghan Markle and Prince Harry depicted as well.

According to the series creator Peter Morgan, the chances are slim. Morgan discussed his stance on the royal couple during a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, in which he deemed them narratively “off-limits.”

“I just think you get so much more interesting [with time],” Morgan explained. “Meghan and Harry are in the middle of their journey, and I don’t know what their journey is or how it will end. One wishes some happiness, but I’m much more comfortable writing about things that happened at least 20 years ago.”

20-year rule

Morgan made reference to a self-imposed “20-year rule,” which decrees that historical events must have occurred two decades prior for them to be depicted on The Crown. “I sort of have in my head a 20-year rule,” he explained. “That is enough time and enough distance to really understand something, to understand its role, to understand its position, to understand its relevance.”

Morgan also stressed the importance of hindsight when it comes to The Crown, and referred to the legacies of both Meghan Markle and Prince Harry as “incomplete.”

“I don’t know where in the scheme of things Prince Andrew or Meghan Markle or Harry will ever appear,” he admitted. “To be a dramatist, I think you need perspective and you need to also allow for the opportunity for metaphor.”

“Often things that appear absolutely wildly important today are instantly forgotten,” Morgan added. “Other things have a habit of sticking around and proving to be historically very relevant and long-lasting.”

Unbiased storytelling

This isn’t the first time Morgan has enforced real-life boundaries. The former playwright admitted to “ducking” a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II because he felt meeting her would compromise the artistry of The Crown.

“I want to keep my distance,” Morgan told The Guardian in 2016. “Better to have complete independence. I want to be free to write how and what I want. I don’t want to feel that I’m endorsed or supported or that I owe anyone.”

Morgan has also made sure not to involve royal family members in the production of The Crown. “I want my independence, they want theirs,” he asserted. “I don’t want to be associated with the palace . . . These are people who are not used to being taken seriously.”

Royal support

Despite Morgan’s desire to separate the fictional from the real, several royal family members have spoken highly of The Crown. According to the biography Harry: Life, Loss, and Love, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are longtime admirers of the series and often watch it while having dinner.

Prince Harry’s cousin, Princess Eugenie, also divulged her fandom for The Crown in an interview with Hello. “It is filmed beautifully,” she gushed. “The music is wonderful, the story is beautiful. You feel very proud to watch it. I can’t speak for everyone, but that’s how I felt when I watched it.”

While fans may not get to see Meghan Markle or Prince Harry on the small screen, Morgan confirmed that The Crown will be returning for an additional sixth season on Netflix. The creator felt the additional season was needed to do justice to the remaining historical material.

“As we started to discuss the storylines for Series 5, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons,” Morgan admitted. “To be clear, season 6 will not bring us any closer to present-day — it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail.”