The mother of a teenager who was murdered in 1979 has said that Netflix has a responsibility to deal with the matter truthfully and sensitively in an upcoming series.
The fourth season of Netflix drama The Crown is set to deal with The Troubles.
The Troubles were a period of conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted from the 1960s until 1998 when the Good Friday Agreement was signed.
Storylines will include real-life events such as an IRA assassination that saw Lord Mountbatten die in an explosion, along with the mother-in-law of his daughter, his grandson and another teenager after a bomb was planted on a boat.
Lord Louis Mountbatten was a godson of Queen Victoria and the great-uncle of Prince Charles.
In 1979, he was holidaying at his castle in Co Sligo. He went fishing with his 14-year-old grandson Nicholas Knatchbull and Fermanagh teenager Paul Maxwell, who was working on the boat.
The IRA had planted a bomb on the boat, which killed four people. Several other family members were seriously injured in the explosion.
Another attack on the same day saw 18 British soldiers killed by the IRA. One civilian was also killed in the crossfire.
Mary Hornsey was Maxwell’s mother. She has spoken of the importance of dealing with these historical storylines with sensitivity and truth.
She told Belfast Live: “I think that it should be portrayed truthfully. There are two aspects of truth – the kind that we can make up that we want to see (on screen) and the actual truth. I think that is very important.
“I also think that the emotion involved in something so great as that should come over.
“Paul’s best friend that he had at the time never got another friend,” she said. “He could never, ever get that attachment again that he had with Paul.
“I think it’s important to get that message out that they should not murder, they should not kill. Especially children.”
The Crown will feature Charles Dance as Lord Mountbatten. Olivia Coleman will star as Queen Elizabeth, with Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher and Helena Bonham-Carter as Princess Margaret.
Many of the scenes have already been recorded, including the funeral at Winchester Cathedral.
Written by Michael Kehoe @michaelcalling
