The Crown plans to portray the infamous “tampongate” phone call between Charles and Camilla “sympathetically as two young lovers” in next month’s series.
However, Netflix bosses have been slammed for the “crass” and “poor taste” decision to depict the infamous 1989 conversation which sparked a royal scandal.
The conversation between then-Prince Charles and Camilla, which has been widely referred to as “tampongate”, was recorded by a ham radio enthusiast who claimed to have stumbled upon the pair’s conversation while flipping between audio channels.
During the conversation, the then-prince referred to being reincarnated as the tampon brand tampax, and told Camilla he wanted to ‘live inside’ her.
The audio recording along with a transcript of the six-minute conversation was sold to a tabloid and published.
It was circulated again in 1993 by The People, following the separation of Prince Charles and Diana.
The Crown plans to portray the infamous “tampongate” phone call between Charles and Camilla “sympathetically as two young lovers” in next month’s series. Dominic West and Olivia Williams as Prince Charles and Camilla
Netflix bosses have been slammed for the “crass” and “poor taste” decision to depict the infamous 1989 conversation that sparked a royal scandal
During the recorded conversation, the then-prince referred to being reincarnated as tampon brand tampax and told Camilla he wanted to “live inside” her
The scene will be delivered “sympathetically” in an attempt to show affection between Charles and Camilla, The Telegraph reported.
It will also try to create viewers’ sympathy at the intrusion into their lives at the time, the paper reports.
But its inclusion in next month’s series has been called “crass” and “in bad taste” by two of the magazine’s sources.
Josh O’Connor, who played a young Prince Charles in The Crown’s series three and four, said he would not film the infamous phone call.
“When they offered me the role, one of my first questions — I say questions, I think it was pretty much a statement — was, ‘We’re not doing the tampon phone call,'” he told SiriusXM in 2020.
‘[The Crown] was my only chance for my parents to see anything [I’ve acted in] without shame and there’s no way I was going to negate that by talking about tampons on Netflix.’
Josh O’Connor, who played a young Prince Charles in The Crown’s series three and four, said he would not film the infamous phone call.
Dominic West, who portrays Prince Charles in the upcoming series, said he has changed his mind about the conversation, having previously felt it was “slurred and deeply, deeply embarrassing”.
“When you look back on it and have to play it, what you realize is that the fault was not with these two people, two lovers, having a private conversation,” he said Entertainment Weekly.
‘What is really [clear now] is how invasive and disgusting the press attention was on it, that they printed it verbatim and you could call a number and listen to the tape itself.
“I think it made me extremely sympathetic to the two of them and what they had been through.”
He added that co-star Olivia Williams, who plays Camilla, has a sympathy for the Queen Consort – with both actors wanting to “do justice” to the couple.
A Netflix spokesperson told The Telegraph that The Crown has always been presented as a drama based on historical events.
The spokesman added that series five will cover events that have already been widely documented by journalists, biographers and historians.
It comes as Netflix was criticized for creating royal scenes for The Crown and reportedly changing the Queen’s historic Annus Horribilis speech.
In November 1992, Her Majesty spoke at London’s Guildhall after a series of scandals and just four days after the fire that gutted part of her home at Windsor Castle.
At the time, she was celebrating her Ruby Jubilee and admitted in the speech that it was not a year “that I will look back on with undiluted joy”.
Show: Netflix has been criticized for creating royal scenes for The Crown and has reportedly been forced to rewrite the Queen’s historic Annus Horribilis speech (Imelda Staunton portrayed in character as the Queen)
However, she thanked the public for their continued support over the years for her and husband Prince Philip.
Queen Elizabeth said: “In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an ‘Annus Horribilis’.
According to The Sun, The Crown version will see Imelda Staunton, who plays the Queen in the hit Netflix series, play out a “rewritten” version of the story.
Speech: In November 1992, Her Majesty spoke at London’s Guildhall after a series of scandals and just four days after the fire that gutted part of her home at Windsor Castle
The show does not show the monarch delivering the same lines she did, instead acknowledging “the wrongs of the past”.
A TV insider claimed that Netflix has “rewritten history by changing the speech” that Staunton gives on the show.
They said: “Netflix can argue about what may or may not have happened behind closed doors to justify some of their stories, but they have essentially rewritten history by changing the speech.
“This will only reinforce the feeling that The Crown is taking huge liberties with the truth and unfairly causing untold damage to the monarchy’s reputation.
“It also feels very insensitive given that the Queen passed away only last month, and the nation is trying to rally around the Royal Family.”
MailOnline contacted representatives for Netflix for comment.
The speech came just weeks before Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced they were separating.
Earlier this week, new photos from the set of The Crown revealed how the controversial Netflix series will show moped-riding paparazzi photographers swarming Princess Diana’s car in the moments before the crash that killed her.
History: Celebrating her Ruby anniversary, admitting in the speech that it was not a year “that I will look back on with undiluted pleasure”
However, Drama: The Crown version sees Imelda Staunton (pictured), who plays the Queen in the popular Netflix series, play out a “rewritten” version of the story
A TV insider told The Sun: “Netflix can argue about what may or may not have happened behind closed doors to justify some of their stories, but they’ve essentially rewritten history by changing the speech” (Imelda Staunton on image in character)
The images show photographers riding on the back of mopeds as they drive close to a Mercedes similar to the one Diana was traveling in when it crashed in the Alma tunnel in Paris in the early hours of August 31, 1997.
They are seen traveling into a tunnel just 100 meters from the one where Diana was fatally wounded.
The paparazzi notoriously followed the car driven by drunken driver Henri Paul as it carried Diana and her lover Dodi Al Fayed away from the Ritz hotel in Paris.
Some then took pictures as Diana, Dodi and Paul lay seriously injured in the wrecked Mercedes after the crash.
The source added: “This will only reinforce the feeling that The Crown is taking huge liberties with the truth and unfairly causing untold damage to the monarchy’s reputation. It also feels very insensitive given that the Queen passed away only last month, and the nation is trying to rally around the royal family” (Imelda Staunton pictured in character)
Netflix had insisted that the “exact moment” of the crash will not feature in the controversial drama, but the new footage will put pressure on the streaming platform as it shows how close it gets to the moment of impact.
Speaking to MailOnline, royal biographer Andrew Lownie said the depiction of the minutes before Diana’s death is “disgusting”, adding that “a bit of sensitivity wouldn’t go amiss”.
The fifth series will be released on 9 November, while the sixth series is still being filmed.
It comes after Princess Diana’s friends yesterday criticized Netflix’s “insensitivity” when the first images of the scene emerged.
History: The speech was delivered just weeks before Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced they were separating
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