Not in the cards? Jared Harris of The Crown revealed that the acclaimed series has no intention in ever covering Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s lives along with other current events.
“It’s not gonna go that far. No, I asked. [Creator] Peter [Morgan] said he’s not going that far,” the British actor, 58, told Us Weekly exclusively at the LA Art Show opening night gala on Wednesday, February 5. “It was never gonna go this far though.”
Harris also addressed the decision Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, made to “step back” from all royal duties. “You have to look at the decision in the context of what happened to his mother [Princess Diana],” he explained. “And if he thinks the same thing might be happening to his wife, he’s gotta protect her. He’s doing the right thing.”
Harris’ comments to Us come on the heels of Netflix’s January 31 announcement that The Crown would end with season 5. Olivia Colman, who succeeded Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II in season 3, will play the monarch for the last time in the show’s upcoming fourth season, which is expected to premiere later this year.
Harry Potter alum Imelda Staunton will tackle the role of the queen after Colman, 46, in the show’s fifth and final outing. Morgan said in a statement at the time that he envisioned The Crown “running for six seasons,” but realized while developing stories for its fifth season “that this is the perfect time and place to stop.”
In response to the casting changeup, Harris told Us on Wednesday that Staunton, 64, is “a great actress.”
Last month, a royal biographer revealed that Harry admitted to his dissatisfaction with The Crown. “When I went to interview him in the palace, the first thing he said to me when he shook my hand was, ‘Are you watching The Crown?’” Angela Levin said on BBC Breakfast on January 20. “And I hadn’t been at the time, I felt very embarrassed.”
Levin added, “He said, ‘I’m going to make sure I stop it before they get to me.’”
Harry and Meghan have already started their new lives with 8-month-old son Archie in Canada following their step back announcement. A source told Us on January 17 that the British Army vet is “not stressed or worried at all” and is “actually really excited about this next chapter” for his family.
Days later, another insider told Us that the retired actress is “so happy” with this change of course. Her husband of nearly two years has also “been encouraging her to do more voice-over work, writing, producing and directing in her free time” since she doesn’t plan to “do another show like Suits.”
With reporting by Taylor Ferber
