Kate Middleton’s Uncle Slams ‘The Crown’ for Portrayal of the Middleton Family: ‘Ridiculous’

Not everyone was a fan of how Netflix portrayed the royal family in The Crown. ​Princess Kate Middleton’s uncle Gary Goldsmith slammed producers of the historical drama for the way they depicted his sister, Carole Middleton, and niece.

“I really, really enjoyed the first couple of episodes and the first series of The Crown, but it seems to just drift into this fantasy world,” Gary, 58, said during an episode of ​The Daily Mail’s “The Crown: Fact or Fiction” podcast on Thursday, January 11. “There’s so many parts of it that I don’t agree with.”

He went on to say that he thought the show became “ridiculous and fantastical,” which made it “difficult to watch.”

“I think from people around the world watching it, they’re seeing this and they’re believing the truth, and we’re thinking, ‘Am I watching The Crown or is it Coronation Street?’” he said. “I think it’s just made up.”

Season 6 of The Crown saw Kate, 42, portrayed by Meg Bellamy, and Carole, 68, portrayed by Eve Best. The season followed the love story that unfolded between Kate and her now-husband, Prince William, as they attended St. Andrews University in Scotland.

In the show, Kate was initially set to attend Edinburgh University until her mother suggested she go to St. Andrews. Eventually, she confronted Carole about suspicions that she was looking to push her closer to pursuing a relationship with William.

“I was all set to go to Edinburgh University straight out of school with all of my friends. Then you suggested I change it to St. Andrews after a gap year,” Kate told Carole in the show. “With none of my friends. That was no coincidence … Was it a coincidence you encouraged me to sign up for the art school in Florence where William was expected to go? And then to the expedition in Chile as well. Where he went … Once you had the idea fixed in your head, you never stopped.”

In another scene, Carole told her daughter, “You want to show off those legs,” in an attempt to capture William’s attention. Kate and William were married in a royal wedding in April 2011 and share three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

“First and foremost, Kate did brilliantly well to get into St. Andrews,” Gary said. “She’s an amazing, an amazing, an amazing girl, but that wasn’t noted. It was all to do with ‘Kate, you’ve got to be here on this day, wearing these clothes, doing these things, showing your legs’ and it’s just not my family. It’s not the way Carole operates.”

As for whether or not the rest of the Middleton family has watched The Crown, Gary did not hold back in his response.

“I think the family is a bit too classy to watch stuff like that. But I would say, there’s probably someone taking notes, and saying, ‘They’ve said this,’” the businessman explained. “I don’t understand why Carole hasn’t taken legal action cause literally it’s that bad. Carole isn’t that manipulative, evil person, sat in a dungeon, coming up by ways by which she can actually force her way into the royal family. She’s strong-willed, she’s got opinions, that’s why we’ve got the kids and family we’ve got today.”