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HBO cartoon criticized for Parodying 8-year-old Prince George: ‘Children are off limits’
A scathing new royal satire that mocks the Royal Family and starring a fictitious version of Prince George has ignited a heated discussion about whether making fun of children should be considered ‘off-limits.’
The new animated series mocking the royal family is also being chastised for portraying Prince George in a “inappropriate” and “disrespectful” manner.
The Prince, HBO’s star-studded animated parody of life in the British royal family centered on a fictionalized version of 8-year-old Prince George, premiered late Thursday for streaming amid controversy over how the third-in-line to the throne and other child members of the family are portrayed in the series, raising questions about bullying and privacy for the royals.
The Prince, a TV series created by Family Guy creator Gary Janetti, portrays Prince George as a juvenile dictator with costly taste, a scathing sense of humour, and a dismal opinion of his family.
The series is the latest attempt to mock the 8-year-old royal, who recently received negative internet comments about his Euro 2020 finals outfit: a striped red and blue tie with a blazer, which sparked pity for dressing up for a soccer match while the rest of the stadium was dressed in jerseys and T-shirts.
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While the British royal family and public are used to parodies and fictitious stories, some felt The Prince’s portrayal of George and his siblings — Princess Charlotte, 6, and Prince Louis, 3 — went too far.
The 12-episode series satirizes Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s relocation to California and portrays the Queen as a trigger-happy, tantrum-throwing syndicate boss. It is available to stream in the US on HBO Max starting today but has not yet shown in the UK.
Social media users responding to the teaser slammed the show’s callous portrayal of Prince William and Duchess Kate’s young son, who is shown as bratty and spoilt, obsessed with Kelly Ripa, demanding “tea that doesn’t taste like” urine, and calling Queen Elizabeth a “bad (expletive).”
“Bottom line, children are off limits,” Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, a women’s rights activist and author, said on Good Morning Britain on Friday. “Creating a parody to poke fun at an 8-year-old is not funny. It’s uncalled for, and it goes against our collective sense of responsibility.”
‘I get people’s desire to make fun of the Royal Family but you do not need the misshapen caricature of an eight-year-old child in order to do so.’
“Using a child like this is disgusting. Who on earth gave this the green light?” @prince scarf wrote on Twitter.
WATCH TRAILER:
The royal tea is piping hot. ☕️
Prince George spills all about life inside Buckingham Palace in #ThePrince, streaming tomorrow on HBO Max. pic.twitter.com/sx9d1LXjP5
— HBO Max (@hbomax) July 28, 2021
Leo Kearse, a comedian, disagreed, stating that because Prince George is a “future head of state and someone born into the Royal Family,” he should be exposed to mockery.
He said: ‘It depends which eight year old child you’re talking about, if this is a future head of state, someone born into the royal family, then I don’t think it’s really punching down to mock him.
‘Also he’s not going to see the cartoon, it’s for adults, he’ll see it in 10 years time. If anybody shows him the cartoon, they’re doing the bad thing, the people making it aren’t doing a bad thing.’
Some fans chastised Game of Thrones actor Sophie Turner for portraying Charlotte after she spoke out against media attention on her own child in May: Turner said at the time, referring to her 1-year-old daughter with husband Joe Jonas, that “she did not ask for this life… it’s disgusting.”
Others contended that making fun of children should be “off limits” in any parody. Prince George’s parents have even been cautious in disseminating photographs of their children, ostensibly to safeguard their children’s privacy as they grow older.
“This is inappropriate. And disrespectful. The children are all innocent and should be off limits! This should be pulled and never viewed,” user @michele620 added.
Janetti, who began making snide remarks about the royal family on his Instagram account, previously defended the program after being accused of taking ‘cheap shots’ at George.
He said: ‘I would hope that he would find it super funny and have a sense of humour about it, and obviously see that everything is meant with affection.’
“No no no no. The adults of the royal family, fine do whatever you like I guess. But George & the other royal children should be off limits,” user @ScatterBrainUK
The show’s audience statistics have not been released by HBO Max, but it was featured Friday in a section of the platform’s site reserved for the platform’s most popular titles.
Kensington Palace, which represents George’s parents, Prince William and Kate, has not commented on the series, as is customary when the royal family is involved in media.
The Prince follows The Crown, Netflix’s drama on Queen Elizabeth’s reign, which was a huge success. The show’s fourth season, which debuted last year, introduced a new generation of fans to William and Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, and a dramatized depiction of the difficulties she encountered after marrying their father, Prince Charles, in 1981. Some have linked The Crown portrayal to a wave of online abuse thrown at Charles and Camilla when social media users mocked royal family accounts and made remarks about being “Team Diana.”
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