HBO Max's New Sitcom Criticized for Depiction of Royal Family

By Allison Schonter

HBO Max's latest sitcom, The Prince, is already facing a wave of controversy following its Thursday, July 29 premiere. When the series dropped all 12 episodes of its debut season early Thursday morning, social media erupted not in laughter over the show's satirical take on the British royal family, but rather in upset over the show's mocking of 8-year-old Prince George and its jabs at other prominent members of the family, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Framed by the streamer as a satirical take about the imagined inner workings of the royal family and created by Family Guy writer Gary Janetti, The Prince is told through the eyes of an animated Prince George, the third in line to the British throne. The adult animated comedy boasts an all-star voice cast that includes Janetti as the young prince, Orlando Bloom as Prince Harry, Alan Cumming as George's butler Owen, Frances de la Tour as Queen Elizabeth, Lucy Punch as Kate Middleton, Condola Rashad at Meghan Markle, Iwan Rheon as Prince William, Dan Stevens as Prince Charles, and Sophie Turner as Princess Charlotte. The series was inspired by Janetti's popular Instagram account, where he satirized royal news.

After HBO Max released the first full-length trailer for The Prince on Wednesday and following the show's premiere, many viewers didn't hesitate to air their grievances. On social media, many dubbed the show's portrayal of Prince George, who is portrayed as spoiled and bratty and speaks in expletive-laced sentences, as "disgusting" and "inappropriate." Issues were also aired over the portrayals of other family members, including Kate Middleton, who is seen throughout the series drinking her share of wine. Meanwhile, Harry and Markle also face their share of jabs. Many have argued that the show is tone-deaf given comments from the British royal family, including Markle, who previously cited "toxic" media scrutiny for her exit as a senior royal. Keep scrolling to see what people are saying.

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"This is the first time I see SussexSquad and Kensington fans agreeing on something," tweeted one person. "Children are off limits and based on this guy insta he shouldn't be offered a show. Shame on u [HBO Max]."

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"Royals have been parodied on dozens of shows over the years (Spitting Image, The Windsors, SNL etc) but this is the first time I can recall children being targeted," royal correspondent Omid Scobie tweeted. "It may be 'comedy' but it comes across as creepy and borderline-bullying."

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"With [The Prince] debuting today, we'd like to remind you these are innocent children who don't deserve to be caricatured &mocked. They as every other child deserves privacy. These are lives:not 'tea,'" one royal fan wrote alongside an image of the three young Cambridge children, adding that it is "especially sad to see Sophie Turner and Orlando Bloom who have publicly discussed issues of privacy surrounding their own children partake in this series."

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"This is inappropriate. And disrespectful," somebody else said of the series. "The children are all innocent and should be off limits! This should be pulled and never viewed. How can you in good conscious, let this happen?"

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"The basic concept of this is sick, cruel & exceptionally creepy... bordering on pathologically stalkerish," tweeted another. "Those are real living children. With real feelings. Regardless of their position in the world their parents must be terrified of how this will affect them."

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"Does America have an official broadcasting authority where to can make complaints to about shows that are offensive & inappropriate?" another person asked. "This is beyond bad on so many levels!"

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"Not appropriate to target a real child, no matter who they are. The adults of the family are fair game but not minors. The Instagram was one thing but now making a tv show to make money out of a young child - totally inappropriate," commented somebody else. "Surprised at Sophie Turner who was rightly angry at Page Six for publishing a photo of her daughters face unblurred. But she is ok to voice Princess Charlotte - a child whose parents didn't consent for her to be made into a cartoon. So is it ok to make a cartoon on Willa Jonas?"

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