Imelda Staunton picks up the royal baton as the latest actor to play Queen Elizabeth in the hit Netflix drama The Crown.

Its new season has faced criticism as it addresses a difficult era for the British royal family so soon after the late monarch’s death.

The award-winning stage and screen actress, whose past credits include Vera Drake,  Downton Abbey and the Harry Potter films, leads a new cast for season 5, set in the 1990s, of the royal drama focused on Elizabeth’s reign.

Elizabeth herself called 1992, the late monarch’s 40th year on the throne, her “annus horribilis” after family marital upsets, public dissent and a fire at Windsor Castle.

“This time in the royal family’s life was very tumultuous and the writers didn’t shy away from any difficult issues,” Staunton said.

Season 5 will be released on November 9, two months after Elizabeth died and her son Charles became king.

One of its main storylines is the divorce of then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Some royal commentators have voiced concern about the impact the show could have at the start of Charles’ reign.

Others, including actress Judi Dench, have called for Netflix to add a disclaimer, criticising fictionalised scenes and dialogues.

In a letter to London’s Times newspaper last month, 87-year-old Dench said as the award-winning show approached present times, “the more freely it seems willing to blur the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism”.

Netflix said The Crown is “fictional dramatisation” inspired by real events.

“I think the idea that there is a need for a disclaimer is a little bit patronising. After four seasons, I think people around the world are well aware this is a drama based on real events,” said actor Jonathan Pryce, who plays Prince Philip.

“I think [with] the proximity of the queen’s death, nerve endings are still raw and people are feeling very protective,” Staunton said. “If this was coming out two years ago, I don’t think any of this would be going on. It’s understandable, of course it is.”

Pryce, who played Pope Francis in The Two Popes, said he had gained a greater understanding of Elizabeth and Philip while working on the series.

“Far from being hurtful or damaging, I think the audience will discover, as we discovered as actors, how compassionate this show is towards the problems the royal family had at the time,” he said. 

Reuters