Despite request, Netflix won't add a disclaimer to 'The Crown'

Netflix won't add a disclaimer to its hit drama The Crown despite a formal request from the UK's culture secretary Oliver Dowden, according to a new report. Though the letter wasn't made public, Dowden did provide a statement to The Mail before it was sent, expressing concern that viewers may mistake the show as something more than fiction.The Crown is a Netflix original drama now in its fourth season, one that tells the partly fictional story of real-life royals. The series is fictionalized and includes aspects that don't reflect actual events — something that has concerned the UK government.

Dowden said last week that Netflix should add a disclaimer before the show that makes it clear to viewers that they're watching a work of fiction. Netflix, however, said that it doesn't see the need for such a disclaimer, noting that it has always presented the show as a work of fiction.

"We have always presented The Crown as a drama – and we have every confidence our members understand it's a work of fiction that's broadly based on historical events," Netflix said in a statement to Deadline. The company said that it has no plans to add a disclaimer.

Though it has received praise from critics and many viewers, some in the UK have criticized the show for presenting fictional events in a story involving real people. The show is produced by Left Bank Pictures and was written by Peter Morgan.