Queen Elizabeth Barred Netflix CEO From Windsor Castle — And Yes, It Involved 'The Crown'
Sources say the monarch was angered by the show’s portrayal of the royal family.
Queen Elizabeth II was known for her discretion, but she also had clear red lines. Especially when it came to how the monarchy was portrayed. One of those lines, sources say, was crossed by The Crown, the TV show, on Netflix. And the effect, though muted, was clear.
According to senior political sources in Great Britain, it was the Queen herself who withheld Netflix chief executive Ted Sarandos’s invite to a prestigious business reception at Windsor Castle in 2021 because she was peeved with the way the royals had been portrayed in the hit television drama.
The incident took place ahead of the UK Global Investment Summit on October 19, 2021, an event to showcase Britain to major international investors following Brexit. As part of the preparations, Downing Street compiled a list of around 400 influential figures from global business and finance who were recommended for attendance at both the summit and a drinks reception at Windsor Castle.
Among those suggested for an audience with the Queen were some of the most powerful figures in American business, including JPMorgan chief Jamie Dimon, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Blackstone boss Stephen Schwarzman, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and Netflix’s Sarandos. Three senior British Conservatives close to then–Prime Minister Boris Johnson told The Post that Sarandos was initially included.
“Boris didn’t really care who was there as long as some rich people showed up,” one source said to the NY Post, describing the former prime minister’s relaxed attitude toward the guest list. But while the list was formally presented as government ‘advice,’ the final say rested with Buckingham Palace, and that is where Sarandos’ name was quietly removed. “It was suggested by the government that Netflix should attend the summit and the drinks reception at Windsor Castle, which was ultimately the biggest attraction of the whole event,” a well-placed insider said. “The Palace said no.”
When asked why, sources pointed directly to the distress caused by The Crown. The Queen, who died in September 2022 at the age of 96, was said to be ‘furious’ over several storylines, particularly the portrayal of Prince Philip as a cold and unsympathetic father, as well as the dramatization of the love triangle involving Prince Charles, Princess Diana, and Camilla Parker Bowles. Season four of the series, the last to air before Elizabeth’s death, focused heavily on the breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage and also depicted what the show suggested was a tense relationship between the Queen and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
While the series was critically acclaimed, palace insiders say it struck a nerve with the monarch, who felt it misrepresented both private family relationships and public duty. Such guest lists are routinely drawn up by political officials tasked with identifying “the great and the good” for events attended by senior royals. And the palace’s stance on Sarandos was not permanent. Two years later, during the premiership of Rishi Sunak and after Charles had become King, a similar gathering of business leaders was held — and this time Sarandos was included.
