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Prince George ‘abuse’ in new series sparks backlash

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Updated on August 2, 2021

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HBO Max has been chastised by royal fans after releasing all 12 episodes of its new series “The Prince” on July 29.

When the series premiered early Thursday morning, social media erupted, not with amusement at the show’s satirical take on the British royal family, but with outrage at the show’s ridiculing of 8-year-old Prince George and barbs at other famous members of the family.

The show, as Insider’s Anneta Konstantinides observed, makes fun of the entire royal family. While Kate Middleton is portrayed as an alcoholic while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle struggle to find jobs in California.

A new teaser for The Prince, written by Gary Janetti of Family Guy, shows a brattish Prince George asking one of his many butlers for a cup of tea that ‘doesn’t taste like p***.’

In a press release, Warner Media described the series as a “outlandishly funny, warm, and one-of-a-kind parody of Buckingham Palace’s residents and staff.”

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 as Meghan Markle, Iwan Rheon as Prince William, Dan Stevens as Prince Charles, and Sophie Turner as Princess Charlotte star in the adult animated comedy. Janetti’s renowned Instagram account, where he satirized royal news, served as inspiration for the series.

The teaser video also shows Harry and Meghan searching for homes in Hollywood, with Harry commenting, “This might be the smallest palace I’ve ever been in.”

Some have expressed reservations about the show’s sarcastic tone, as well as its decision to model the main character on a child.

“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].”

On Twitter, Omid Scobie, a royal novelist, wrote: “Don’t particularly agree with parodying children but guessing I’m in the minority as @hbomax’s no-f****-given series #ThePrince hits the streamer tomorrow. Thoughts?”

“With the release of the awful cartoon ‘The Prince,’ I’m sending extra love to the Cambridges today! No kids should be mocked like this for money.. shame on @hbomax or allowing this to go ahead. We all love you Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis,” a fan account for the Cambridge family wrote on Twitter.

“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 journalist Omid Scobie tweeted. “It may be ‘comedy’ but it comes across as creepy and borderline-bullying.”

“Have YOU ran out of creative ideas????!!!! This is your lame attempt to replicate THE FAMILY GUY. Your DESPERATE comedy offering is targeting REAL LIFE CHILDREN to boost your platform, increase your original hours and remain relevant…” another one saisd

“He and his friends will see #ThePrince. A child won’t understand why you’re making fun of him,” author and lawyer Shola Mos-Shogbamimu wrote on Twitter.

“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.”

Another person stated: “This garbage should be #boycotted by every parent. To ridicule and fabricate aspects of the lives of two #children who cannot defend themselves is public #childabuse and #bullying. When you get into bed with the devil, H you really are gone. #SICK”

Colette Fahy, a journalist, questioned Sophie Turner’s decision to play Princess Charlotte while still requesting privacy for her own daughter.

“The mental gymnastics that celebs do to convince themselves they’re right. Sophie Turner is within her rights to advocate for privacy for her daughter but how can she think it’s ok to be part of this show which mocks Prince George (8), Princess Charlotte (6) & Prince Louis (3)?” Fahy wrote on Twitter.

“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?”

“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?”

Kinsey Schofield, a royal analyst, defended the series’ portrayal of George, telling Insider that, contrary to popular belief, “the children aren’t the butt of the joke.”

“They are actually the most intelligent in the mix. The show fixates on the adults around them having a hard time coping. For instance, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle struggle to make it in America. George mocks them as they star in an HGTV show titled ‘Royally Screwed,'” Schofield, founder of To Di For Daily, told Insider.

“The Queen is painted more like a Disney Villain than anything even remotely close to the fantastic woman that she is. The characters are so obviously exaggerated or disconnected from the people that they are playing that I didn’t mind the silly storylines,” she added.

While no date for the series’ UK premiere has been confirmed, it is now available to stream on HBO Max in the United States.