Spoiler Alert: This news story features details from Season 6 of The Crown
Peter Morgan may have brought the curtain down on The Crown decades before Prince William and Harry’s real-life feud, but it has not stopped him from imagining the early signs of discontent between the brothers.
The Crown’s final episode, now streaming on Netflix, foreshadows the cracks in their relationship as the two royals wrestle with adulthood and their royal duties.
The princes, played by Ed McVey (William) and Luther Ford (Harry), have a frosty exchange after being told by Imelda Staunton’s Queen Elizabeth II that their father Prince Charles (Dominic West) intends to marry Camilla Parker Bowles (Olivia Williams).
Prince William is grudgingly accepting of the idea, recognizing that it is important for his father’s happiness as he prepares to ascend to the throne. Prince Harry is less keen and says nothing as his brother offers the Queen their blessing.
“I can’t believe you caved like that,” Harry snipes. “I didn’t cave, I’m just being a realist,” William replies as they look on at the Queen informing Prince Charles that he is free to wed. “Such a f***ing company man,” Harry remarks.
The quote could be interpreted as a reference to “The Firm,” a nickname for the royal family that has been used by Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, on several occasions during interviews in which she was critical of the institution.
William and Harry are later imagined bickering over the dinner table on the eve of their father’s wedding. Harry accuses his sibling of “stabbing me in the back” following an incident in which he was pictured wearing a Nazi uniform at a fancy dress party. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, how many faces does this man have?” he asks.
In recent years, allies of the Duke of Sussex have accused Prince William of briefing against his younger brother in the press. This version of events was repeated recently by Omid Scobie, who is seen as close to Harry and Meghan, while promoting his book Endgame. “He’s sharing private information about his brother that ended up on the front page of a newspaper not long later,” Scobie said.
Back in The Crown’s finale, the Queen offers William some wisdom about his brother — and makes an apparent reference to Harry’s eventual exile. “Be kind to him,” she says. “In many ways, it’s harder being number two than number one. The system protects number one. Number two tends to … need extra care and attention.”
Prince Harry has admitted to watching The Crown in the past, but a source close to the Duke of Sussex told Deadline last month that he would be skipping the final season because of the storyline about Princess Diana’s death. Prince William has never admitted to watching the show.