Judi Dench Calls for ‘The Crown’ to Use a ‘Fictionalized Drama’ Disclaimer

Judi Dench wrote in an open letter published Wednesday in The Times of London that The Crown ought to have a "fictionalised drama" disclaimer before the start of every episode as the series inches closer "to our present times."

The 87-year-old actress said that "no one is a greater believer in artistic freedom" than her but "this cannot go unchallenged." She insists that "the closer the drama comes to our present times, the more freely it seems willing to blur the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism."

Dench -- who portrayed Queen Victoria in the 1997 film Mrs. Brown and 2017's Victoria & Abdul, as well as Queen Elizabeth in 1998's Shakespeare in Love -- also wrote that "while many will recognise The Crown for the brilliant but fictionalized account of events that it is, I fear that a significant number of viewers, particularly overseas, may take its version of history as being wholly true."

She added that the "sensationalism" -- that King Charles "plotted for his mother to abdicate, for example, or once suggested his mother’s parenting was so deficient that she might have deserved a jail sentence" -- is "cruelly unjust to the individuals and damaging to the institution they represent."

Dench was referring to former U.K. Prime Minister John Major (1990-1997), who responded over the weekend to rumors in the U.K. media that one of the plotlines in season 5 includes Prince Charles suggesting in 1991 he wanted Major's support to dethrone his mother. Major called the depictions as a "barrel-load of nonsense."

Dench makes it crystal clear: "The time has come for Netflix to reconsider -- for the sake of a family and a nation so recently bereaved, as a mark of respect to a sovereign who served her people so dutifully for 70 years, and to preserve its reputation in the eyes of its British subscribers."

She signed the letter, "Signed Dame Judi Dench."

The open letter comes one day after Dominic West confirmed that Charles' infamous "Tampongate" phone call with Camilla Parker Bowles will be brought up in the upcoming season.

RELATED CONTENT:

Queen Elizabeth II's Death: Expert Details What's Next for the British Monarchy

'The Crown' Will Have Charles and Camilla's Infamous Tampon Phone Call

'The Crown' Season 5 Images Show Cast as 'Most Visual' Era of Royals

'The Crown' Reveals November Premiere Date for Season 5

'The Crown': Elizabeth Debicki Resumes Filming as Princess Diana