The late Queen Elizabeth II banned Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos from a swanky business reception at Windsor Castle four years ago over the streaming giant’s portrayal of the British royal family in its award-winning series “The Crown,” The Post has learned.
Ahead of the inaugural UK Global Investment Summit on Oct.19, 2021, Sarandos was among a handful of US executives who were recommended for an audience with the British monarch, three senior British Conservatives close to then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson told The Post.
In addition to Sarandos, those execs included JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, the sources said.
“Boris didn’t really care who was there as long as some rich people showed up,” said one source.
But ahead of the shindig, aides to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch struck Sarandos from a list of as many as 400 potential VIP guests compiled by Downing Street that was presented as “advice” traditionally followed by Buckingham Palace.
“It was suggested by the government that Netflix should attend the summit and the drinks reception at Windsor Castle, which was ultimately the biggest attraction of the whole event. The Palace said no,” said one of the well-placed insiders.
When asked why, the person briefed on the matter suggested the distress that ‘The Crown’ had caused to the royal family.
The sources said the monarch, who died in September 2022 at age 96, was “furious” with how the TV show painted Prince Philip as a harsh father, along with the depiction of the love triangle between Prince Charles, Princess Diana and Camilla Parker Bowles.
Season 4 of The Crown, the last to be broadcast before Elizabeth’s death, focused on the breakdown of her son’s marriage, as well as the queen’s alleged strained relationship with former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Buckingham Palace did not respond to The Post’s request for comment. A Netflix spokesperson declined to comment, but a company insider confirmed that no invite was extended to the firm‘s chief executive.
British political officials are often tasked with drumming up a long list of names of “the great and the good” for major business or sporting events where the royals will be present.
A similar gathering of business bigwigs was held two years later during the premiership of Rishi Sunak, who succeeded Johnson as PM and leader of Britain’s Conservative Party, once Charles had become King.
Sarandos made the cut that time at the insistence of Sunak’s inner circle — thanks to Netflix’s $6 billion investment in making productions in the UK, according to insiders.
The revelations come as the 61-year-old, New Jersey-born Sarandos looks to seal a possible deal — and the current US administration’s regulatory approval — for his $72 billion mega-merger with Warner Bros Discovery.
President Trump — whose close ally Larry Ellison is helping lead Paramount Skydance’s rival bid for the WBD — has regularly spoken of his affection for Her Majesty, calling her “an incredible lady.”
No official royal residences were used in the making of “The Crown,” which featured Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton as Elizabeth during different periods of her 70-year reign.
Lancaster House, an 1840 ornate mansion close to London’s Hyde Park that is managed by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, stood in for Buckingham Palace.
Netflix used Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, central England, and Burghley House in Lincolnshire, eastern England, to portray Windsor Castle, where the late monarch is now buried, over the course of the six seasons.
The company is currently producing a documentary featuring King Charles to mark the 50th anniversary of The King’s Trust, a charity that was set up in 1976 by the then-prince of Wales.
