Finding Freedom Omid Scobie compares The Crown’s depiction of Princess Diana to Meghan Markle

The author of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s biography Finding Freedom has said The Crown poses a ‘major risk’ to Prince Charles and Camilla’s popularity. 

Omid Scobie, who co-wrote Finding Freedom with Carolyn Durand, took to Twitter to share a clip as he spoke about the launch of the latest series of the programme on Netflix, which depicts Charles (played by Josh O’Connor) and Camilla (Emerald Fennell).

It paints a picture of them being in almost constant contact during the early years of his marriage to Diana and shows them sleeping together the night before his wedding – although these scenes have since been rubbished by royal experts. 

Scobie said: ‘There are real concerns coming from the palace that the people watching season four of The Crown will take it for gospel. 

‘Prince Charles and Camilla are a couple who have spent decades trying to repair their image and just at the time when they are gaining popularity in the UK, that all faces major risk.’ 

Omid Scobie, who penned Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s biography Finding Freedom has said The Crown poses a ‘major risk’ to Prince Charles and Camilla’s popularity

Royal experts have widely panned the drama, which depicts Charles (played by Josh O'Connor) and Camilla (Emerald Fennell) as being in almost constant contact during the early years of his marriage to Diana and shows them sleeping together the night before his wedding

Royal experts have widely panned the drama, which depicts Charles (played by Josh O’Connor) and Camilla (Emerald Fennell) as being in almost constant contact during the early years of his marriage to Diana and shows them sleeping together the night before his wedding

Meanwhile he continued: ‘This new season follows Diana’s journey as a new member of the royal family. Someone who was adored but quickly laughed at and mocked within the institution. 

‘It brings parallels to Meghan’s very recent journey and highlights a very big problem within the institution.’ 

Meanwhile Princess Diana is portrayed as a teenager through the early years of marriage and motherhood, with the series depicting her battle with her mental health and bulimia. 

During one scene, she pleads ‘to be loved’ by the Royal Family after marrying into the firm, while in another, Prince Philip appears to threaten her as she says she might have to ‘officially break away’ from the family. 

Earlier today, Princess Diana's biographer branded Emma Corrin's performance in The Crown 'the most accomplished and realistic' portrayal of the late royal he has seen

Earlier today, Princess Diana’s biographer branded Emma Corrin’s performance in The Crown ‘the most accomplished and realistic’ portrayal of the late royal he has seen

Earlier today, Princess Diana’s biographer branded Emma Corrin’s performance in The Crown ‘the most accomplished and realistic’ portrayal of the late royal he has seen. 

English journalist Andrew Morton, 67, who penned the bestselling Diana: Her True Story in 1992, said the 24-year-old actress demonstrated ‘star quality’ in the role.

In a letter to Vanity Fair, Morton added that Corrin’s Diana is ‘more sophisticated than the actual princess’ and ‘displays more feminine guile and cunning’. 

Morton’s remarks echo comments made by Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell, who praised Corrin for perfecting her ‘mannerisms and personality’ and claimed The Crown is a ‘true, fair and accurate’ depiction of the princess as a ‘victim of people who didn’t really care’.

Omid Scobie, who penned Finding Freedom, has compared The Crown's depictions of Princess Diana to Meghan Markle's, 39, 'very recent journey'

Omid Scobie, who penned Finding Freedom, has compared The Crown’s depictions of Princess Diana to Meghan Markle’s, 39, ‘very recent journey’

However other commentators have lined up to criticise the show, including Ingrid Seward who called it ‘pretty inaccurate’, Dickie Arbiter who said ‘some of the actions are fiction’ and Sally Beddell Smith who said ‘the level of invention has been growing’. 

Tom Quinn said parts of the show were ‘total nonsense’, although Paul Burrell was full of praise, saying it was a ‘fair and accurate dramatisation of what happened’.

Inaccuracies in the drama have also been slammed, including that Charles saw Lord Mountbatten as more of a father-figure than Prince Philip, and that Margaret Thatcher told the Queen she thought women were incapable of holding high office. 

The biographer said the new season follows Diana's journey as  'someone who was adored but quickly laughed at and mocked within the institution' and compared it to Meghan's journey

The biographer said the new season follows Diana’s journey as  ‘someone who was adored but quickly laughed at and mocked within the institution’ and compared it to Meghan’s journey

Friends of Prince Charles launched a blistering attack on the show over the weekend, accusing producers of the hit Netflix drama of ‘trolling on a Hollywood budget’.

Some of the Prince’s closest confidantes have accused the streaming giant of exploiting the Royal Family’s pain for financial gain and raged that ‘fiction is presented as fact’ in its twisted version of events. 

Meanwhile royal experts also claimed Prince Harry has stepped into a ‘bear trap’ with his £75million Netflix deal amid fierce criticism of The Crown’s portrayal of his parents. 

The Duke of Sussex is ‘unlikely to see a clash’ between the ‘deeply intrusive’ drama and the deal he and wife Meghan made, commentators said as they pointed out it portrayed his parents Charles as a ‘wimp’ and ‘brutal’ and Diana as ‘deeply stressed’.

Richard Fitzwilliams said Harry may even agree with the ‘derisory portrayal of the Royal Family as a rather sinister, uncaring and often cruel institution’, while author Penny Junor said the 36-year-old was in a ‘very awkward situation right now’.