While Netflix’s The Crown ended with King Charles and Queen Camilla’s wedding, the streaming giant is reportedly resurrecting their prestige drama series for a one-off special focused on the downfall of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson.
And while fans of the show are excited it could be returning, a source close to the former Duke and Duchess of York say the pair are less than thrilled.
“This is the absolute worst nightmare for the Yorks, but somewhat inevitable,” the source tells Woman’s Day.
“After The Crown, fictionalised documentaries about the royals have been non-stop but the scandals Andrew and Sarah have provided via Epstein are too good to ignore.”
And as major production companies in Hollywood race to be the first to bring Andrew and Fergie’s controversies, particularly Andrew’s shocking arrest on February 19, to cinemas and television screens around the world, the source expects their tale to be told in multiple ways.
“If the most fringe of ideas, like Sarah’s dresser from decades ago being charged with murder can be turned into a full-scale TV series, the possibilities are endless with the current plague of Epstein scandals,” says the source.
“And it’s not just the one-off Crown style specials – there’s a script for a theatre musical, a full-length feature film, a miniseries and a documentary.”
Following Andrew’s unprecedented arrest on February 19, Insiders around Hollywood have shared that there’s no shortage of screenplay pitches being sent around to all the major networks and production companies.
WHO WILL PLAY ANDREW?
While Netflix are yet to confirm whether a special about Andrew’s legal troubles and alleged connections to the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are in the works, the creator of The Crown, Peter Morgan, revealed in 2024 that he was conflicted about portraying more recent royal events.
“For the time being, I cannot imagine any circumstances in which I’d want to go further into the present, as it were, but at the same time, I don’t think I’m done with the subject,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
“I might find some way of coming into it from a different way.”
While The Crown didn’t touch on Andrew’s legal troubles or connections with Epstein in it’s original run, the actor who played the former prince in season five, James Murray, has already expressed interest in exploring the disgraced former prince’s downfall.
“I quite enjoy playing challenging or polarising roles, or certainly scenes that could divide an audience because I think that’s fun,” James told Variety shortly after season five premiered in November 2022.
And while Hollywood is eager to dramatise, the source reveals Andrew and Fergie might not be too keen on seeing themselves on screen.
“There’s no way Sarah and Andrew are going to be able to stop these productions. The irony is that Sarah has spent most of her life trying to stay relevant in the press and would dream of being the subject of some documentary,” says the source.
“This is not quite what she had in mind.”
ANDREW AND FERGIE’S HOLLYWOOD TREATMENT
As for who will play Sarah Ferguson in the new special, there’s a few options at Netflix and Left Bank Pictures’ disposal.
In season four of The Crown, Fergie was portrayed by Jessica Aquilina, while Emma Laird Craig stepped into the role for season five.
Hunger Games actress Natalie Dormer has also just portrayed the former duchess in a mini-series also produced by Left Bank Pictures called The Lady – a semi-fictional drama that follows the story of Fergie’s royal dresser Jane Andrews, who murdered her partner Tom Cressman in 2000.
But it’s unlikely Natalie will be stepping into the role again anytime soon as she has declined to do any publicity for the series, and donated her salary to charities that support child sex abuse victims after it was revealed Fergie also had a relationship with Epstein.
“Natalie has had to do what she feels is right,” Natalie’s costar Mia McKenna-Bruce told The Watchlist.
“She’s the one playing Sarah. So it’s kind of a question for Natalie, but we obviously all respect and support what Natalie feels she needs to do.”
