Prince Charles’ Popularity Bound To Dip With ‘The Crown’ Season 3 Release

While fans are eagerly anticipating its arrival, Prince Charles is, reportedly, apprehensive over “The Crown” Season 3, which is slated for release on Nov. 17, 2019. Based on recent reports, the heir apparent fears that Netflix’s hit drama series might negatively affect his popularity ratings with the release of the show’s third season.

Clarence House staff are worried that Charles' popularity rating might take a plunge once the show’s “potentially damaging storylines” start airing later this month, according to The Sun. This is especially a concern for the Duke of Cornwall considering the show is immensely popular among young viewers.

The story about Charles’ affair with the former Camilla Parker-Bowles when he was still married to Princess Diana might not shock viewers over 40 years of age since they were already around when it happened. But for the younger generation of fans especially millennials, it will be their first time learning about the details of the royal love triangle.

Charles’ staff has reason to be concerned about how it may negatively affect his popularity ratings as they were never that high, to begin with. Based on recent polls, only 47 percent has a positive opinion of the Duke of Cornwall, which is rather low compared to Prince William’s 68 percent and Queen Elizabeth II’s 73 percent.

It’s the job of Clarence House staff to improve, or at least maintain, Charles’ popularity in preparation for his ascension to the throne. Unfortunately for him, the show’s plot in the upcoming seasons will likely cause his popularity to take a beating.

“But the next few seasons are going to be increasingly focused on the Prince of Wales’ behavior, especially around his marriage to Diana and affair with Camilla,” an unidentified royal source told The Sun. “The timing couldn’t be any more disastrous in terms of Charles’s bid for popularity.”

One of the precautionary measures his staff, reportedly, put in place is to prevent Charles from attending any Netflix red-carpet premiere if any actors of the series are present. “So his staff made it clear he wouldn’t attend the event if Netflix had any The Crown actors there,” the insider added.

Meanwhile, a royal family fan believes that it’s something unavoidable that Charles just has to endure for a while. “That is what happens” every time TV shows about Diana comes out.

“It is a cycle - he gets the popularity back and then the media rehash the story and his popularity plummets again,” Chris Smith wrote on Quora.

Smith also warned fans of the show that its plot might not necessarily be an accurate account of what actually happened. “He knows that and The Crown will make out that he was evil through and through no doubt - as that is what will sell and The Crown isn’t about telling the truth but about creating a fictional account of the lives of real people with the occasional reference to real events,” the Quora user added.