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Gillian Anderson defends The Crown for 'restraint' in dealing with royal controversy

Gillian Anderson played Margaret Thatcher in season four of The Crown. (Netflix)
Gillian Anderson played Margaret Thatcher in season four of The Crown. (Netflix)

Gillian Anderson has hit back at the controversy around the latest series of The Crown, saying the show displays "a great deal of kindness and restraint" in how it talks about the Royal Family.

The Netflix series has faced increasingly severe criticism for its depictions of the life of the late Queen, with the controversy only intensifying as the show's timeline moves closer to the modern day.

Read more: When will The Crown be back for season six?

November saw the arrival of the fifth season of The Crown, with Imelda Staunton replacing Olivia Colman in the lead role.

Covering the events between 1991 and 1997, the new season included the divorce of the then-Prince Charles and Diana — with Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki in those roles.

Watch: Trailer for the fifth season of The Crown

Anderson, who played Margaret Thatcher in the fourth season of the show, told Total Film (via Daily Mail) she supported the rigorous approach taken by show creator and writer Peter Morgan.

She said: "There's a lot of researchers involved, and a lot of people checking and double-checking and triple-checking.

Read more: Imelda Staunton was "inconsolable" after Queen's death

"There's a lot that has not been written about that could be written about. And if you knew the difference in those, you'd see there is a great deal of kindness and restraint."

The 54-year-old star added that the show is populated by "maturely drawn, complex characters" and that Morgan and his team could've gone much further than they did.

She added: "There's a lot that's in there that one has to say: 'If you didn't do it, we wouldn't be writing about it'."

Anderson further said that The Crown has been a net positive for the Royal Family, which she claimed is "more internationally loved, celebrated and understood" as a result of the show.

Read more: Why does the Royal Family fear The Crown?

Perhaps the most high-profile criticism of The Crown ahead of its fifth season came from actor Dame Judi Dench, who wrote an open letter in Times expressing concerns about the show being perceived as unequivocal truth.

She wrote: "This is both cruelly unjust to the individuals and damaging to the institution they represent. No one is a greater believer in artistic freedom than I, but this cannot go unchallenged."

Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce play the Queen and Prince Philip in the latest season of The Crown. (Netflix)
Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce play the Queen and Prince Philip in the latest season of The Crown. (Netflix)

As a response to Dench's criticism, Netflix added a disclaimer to the show's trailer, reading: "Inspired by real events, this fictional dramatisation tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign."

Former prime minister John Major, played in the show by Jonny Lee Miller, also criticised some of the more controversial scenes as "a barrel-load of malicious nonsense".

Read more: Judi Dench not keen on being called a national treasure

The Crown is due to conclude with its sixth season, which will debut this year and is likely to conclude its depiction of history in 2002 with the Golden Jubilee celebrations.

Production on the final season was paused in the wake of the Queen's passing in September 2022, but resumed shortly afterwards.

Watch: Elizabeth Debicki was fan of The Crown before landing Diana role