HBO Max's New Series 'The Prince' Was Made Before Prince Philip's Death, Jokes Were 'Presumably' Kept In As Producers 'Felt It Was Too Difficult To Edit Out,' Expert Claims
After The Prince debuted on HBO Max, viewers were upset at how Prince Philip was portrayed — especially since he only died a few months ago.
In the series, the late Duke is forced to eat, and in one scene, Prince William tries to pour some tea into his mouth — but Philip just sits there motionless.
"There’s quite a bit of disgust at the inclusion of Prince Philip," royal expert Rebecca English told MailPlus Palace Confidential. "Now I should stress that this program was made before Prince Philip sadly died in April and actually its airing was pushed back because of that but they still included the character of Prince Philip, presumably because they felt it was too difficult to edit out."
She added, "In hindsight, it’s quite distasteful, it’s a lot of jokes about his imminent demise and his ill health and there’s a lot of people who feel quite angry and uncomfortable about that."
It's safe to say people were less than pleased with the portrayal. One person wrote, "I'm no Royal Family fan or anything, but seeing as Prince Philip has passed away the way he's portrayed on The Prince on HBO is a little upsetting," while another added, "Bullying 3 children (so their parents), & Her Majesty The Queen, who is currently grieving the loss of her husband of 73 years. What a kick in the guts to Royals!"
A third user added, "Never been a fan of the Royal Family but even I'm beginning to feel bad for them. Prince Philip lost his family, home as a young boy, fought against the Nazi regime and gave a lifetime of service. He was a proud man too. Very sad to see him portrayed this way."
But expert Robert Jobson believes Philip wouldn't have taken the insults too seriously.
"The depiction of the Duke of Edinburgh as an old buffoon is a little cheap and unnecessary, and at this moment in time it may be out of place, but satire has been going on for centuries," he told the MailOnline. "He had a sense of humor about his time, and he obviously would’ve taken this with a pinch of salt."
