Dominic West claims King Charles gave him green-light for role in The Crown

Dominic West has claimed that the King gave him the green light to appear in The Crown.

West said he had attempted to resign his role as ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, fearing that his performance as Charles in the controversial Netflix series would represent a conflict of interest.

According to West, he received a letter from the King’s private secretary, turning down his resignation.

“It was, ‘You do what you like, you’re an actor. It’s nothing to do with us,’” West said of the letter’s contents. “I think that’s probably how [the King] regards it.”

However, it is understood that the reply offered no specific guidance or opinion either way.

West portrays the then Prince of Wales in the 1990s, in storylines which cover his marriage breakdown, his televised confession to adultery, and the infamous “Tampongate” phone call.

Yet, according to the actor, the King and Queen Consort were relaxed about his involvement. The Queen Consort, he told Radio Times, jokingly addressed him as “Your Majesty” at a party last year.

West has been a Prince’s Trust ambassador for over a decade and said he had met the King on a number of occasions. “I’ve been in a line to shake his hand a few times and it’s fascinating. It’s very useful to meet the character you’re playing, obviously,” he said.

Additionally, he described the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and surrounding events as a “gold mine” for research.

He said of the monarch: “I’ve always really liked him, and I think that was enhanced in most people’s eyes by the funeral, his involvement in it, and his accession, particularly the unguarded moments,  which were really endearing and so different from the Queen. ‘That bloody pen.’ My affection for him has grown even more.”

However, West joked that he looked like “a Mexican ambassador” when dressed in Charles’ clothes.

He also believes the series is sympathetic to Camilla Parker-Bowles, as she was during the 1990s. “I never really thought about it at the time, but the research showed me how badly Camilla was treated,” West said. “I don’t think that would happen today. It happened for many reasons, one of them being she’s a woman.”

The new series covers the “Tampongate” affair, in which an intimate phone call between Charles and Camilla was covertly recorded by an amateur radio enthusiast and sold to the press.

West said the call was not “a sordid, embarrassing discussion” but “sweet, tender and gauche”. “Most people, if they’re lucky enough, will have had conversations like that with people they love,” he said.

The actor’s 13-year-old son, Senan, plays Prince William in the show and has some “emotional scenes” with Diana, who is played by Elizabeth Debicki.

Other cast members spoke of their respect for the royal characters they play.

Imelda Staunton, who takes over the role of the Queen, said she was “inconsolable” when the monarch died.

Jonathan Pryce, who plays the Duke of Edinburgh, defended The Crown against its critics. They include Dame Judi Dench, who said the series was “cruelly unjust” to the Royal family.

“If we changed anything, it would be an admission that what we had done before was wrong and I don’t feel that at all.

“I think it will continue to be a respectful examination of a family, done with great integrity and wit,” he said.

The depiction of Prince Philip’s relationship with the Countess of Burma, Pryce added, was simply an attempt to delve into his “emotional life”.

According to Debicki, it is time for viewers to get over the fact that The Crown blends fact and fiction.

Netflix has added a disclaimer to the show’s YouTube trailer, saying it is a “fictional dramatisation” which is “inspired” by real events.

Debicki said: “Now the disclaimer is up there, we can maybe stop talking about it and move on.”