HBO Max's The Prince sparks outrage in Britain

The Washington Post

HBO Max's release of The Prince's official trailer Wednesday ahead of the binge-release in America Thursday of all 12 episodes of the Gary Janetti animated series poking fun at the royal family has many British people steamed. The Washington Post's Jennifer Hassan reports from London that the trailer "depicts Prince William as having a head shaped somewhat like a butternut squash, while his youngest son, 3-year-old Prince Louis, is transformed into a Cockney rebel who runs around the palace grunting a series of demands. The series was made available to stream in the United States on Thursday. Queen Elizabeth II is characterized as a mafia boss dripping in pearls and gold, while heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles is painted as a power-hungry mommy’s-boy who has waited far too long to become king. Critics say the harshest portrayal, however, is that of 8-year-old Prince George, the eldest child of Prince William and wife Kate. The young prince, who is third in line to the throne, is presented as an entitled child who is worried about his weight and harbors ill-feelings toward his siblings. On social media, many slammed the show as 'wrong' and 'disgusting,' complaining that the series will only fuel hatred toward Britain’s royals and young members of the family who may one day learn of the project’s existence." Janetti has previously stressed that The Prince is a parody and should be treated as such. “Everything is meant with affection,” he has said, calling the show "super funny." Meanwhile, Sophie Turner, who voices Princess Charlotte has been branded "hypocritical" for mocking the 6-year-old while demanding privacy for her young child. Orlando Bloom was also slammed for voicing Prince Harry while being friends and neighbors with him in real life. Before The Prince was ordered to series, Janetti was slammed for parodying Prince George on his Instagram account. The Instagram parody led to the HBO Max series. “Lampooning a little boy will not go down well with some," said The Daily Telegraph correspondent Richard Palmer. "Would a U.S. company commission a similar series about a US president’s child?”