'The Crown' is "imaginative speculation", according to Dominic West.

The 53-year-old actor plays King Charles in the hit Netflix show, and he's advised people who don't approve of 'The Crown' to watch royal documentaries instead.

He said: "It's a drama, an imaginative speculation in a way.

"I watched every documentary that has ever been made about my character, and there are plenty of those that people can watch if you don't want to watch what a great dramatist has created imaginatively."

The new season of 'The Crown' explores various royal controversies during the 90s.

And Dominic acknowledges that it's being released at a sensitive time, two months after the death of Queen Elizabeth.

He told Sky News: "I think a lot of sensibilities have obviously been stirred up after the death of the Queen, but this is a show that has always courted controversy the closer that it's got to our own times.

"Everyone has very strong opinions, we all have our memories and our opinions of those times and I think people who tune in to watch it are ultimately open to having that challenged or confirmed in whatever way that may be."

Earlier this month, Dominic revealed that he reached out to King Charles after he was cast in 'The Crown'.

The actor confirmed that he contacted The Prince's Trust - the charity founded by Charles in 1976 - after he landed the role.

He said: "I just thought I would inform The Prince's Trust that I was playing the part. And I felt they had a right to know that. So, that's as far as it went."

By contrast, Dominic didn't reach out to Prince Harry about his part in the show.

The actor actually got to know Harry in 2013, when they both participated in the Walk With the Wounded charity race through Antarctica.

He admitted: "I didn't think it was appropriate to call him up and ask him for tips."