He created hit Netflix drama The Crown, but don’t assume British film director Peter Morgan is a staunch monarchist: if this new interview is any indication, he’s anything but.
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Speaking to The Sunday Times Culture magazine, Morgan revealed he is actually a firm republican, and believes that gives him an edge over “fawning” royal biographers.
“Maybe it’s because I am an outsider – both my parents were refugees,” he says. “If you had told me I would be doing this, I would have told you it was mad, hallucinogenic conjecture.”
“I wouldn’t have guessed there would be anything more to say about this countryside woman of limited intelligence who would have much preferred looking after her dogs and breeding horses to being Queen,” he adds. Ouch.
After comparing the British monarchy to “a mutating virus” that survives against all odds, Morgan then says, “it’s clearly a deranged institution and a completely insane system, but perhaps it’s the insanity that makes it work.”
Despite his surprisingly strong views, The Crown (season one, at least) offers an empathetic glimpse of the real people behind the royal titles. The royal family are not consulted at any stage of the filming process, with Claire Foy, who plays The Queen in seasons one and two, telling marie claire US, “the reality for all of us is that we don’t think they’re going to watch it.”
They’re wrong there: Princess Eugenie, Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter, told Hello! she thinks it’s “filmed beautifully.”
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