- Netflix released the two-part docuseries "Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story" on Wednesday.
- The series includes letters in which Savile appeared to unofficially advise
Prince Charles .
A new Netflix documentary includes letters that appear to show that Jimmy Savile, a longtime BBC star and prolific sexual abuser, was an unofficial adviser to Prince Charles for 20 years. The letters did not indicate that any members of the
On Wednesday, Netflix released "Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story," a limited series that investigates the life and crimes of Savile. After he died in 2011, nearly 500 people accused Savile of sexual abuse, The Times reported, including many victims who were under the age of 18. An inquiry by the UK National Health Service later confirmed he was a serial pedophile, according to the Washington Post.
The docuseries includes an interview with Alison Bellamy, a journalist who wrote a biography about Savile that was published three months before the allegations against him became public knowledge.
In the series, Bellamy shared copies of letters that were purportedly exchanged between Savile, who was knighted by the Queen in 1990, and members of the royal family, including both Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
Based on the letters, Savile seemed to act as an unofficial adviser to the future king of England, helping him write speeches and navigate the press. (Representatives for Clarence House did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.)
"He obviously valued Jimmy's opinion, which is bizarre really," Bellamy said of Prince Charles in the docuseries.
In a note dated January 2, 1989, Charles indicated that he wanted his office to "consult" Savile before meetings. "I can't remember if I've written you a note recently, on the subject of you suggesting useful morale-boosting visits etc to worthwhile groups, places, projects and so on that don't get enough attention," he wrote, according to the docuseries. "I have a dreadful feeling that the office doesn't consult you before each programme meeting."
"You are so good at understanding what makes people operate and you're wonderfully sceptical and practical," Charles wrote to Savile on April 16, 1990, according to the docuseries. "Can you cast an eye over this draft and let me know how you think we can best appeal to people on this score?"
Bellamy went on to share a document called "Guidelines for Members of the Royal Family and Their Staffs" that Savile created for the monarchy. It contained guidance for how the royal family should respond to crises, including creating an "incident room" and going through the Queen before making public statements.
Bellamy then shared a letter purportedly from Prince Charles regarding the memo, which he said he shared with his father, Prince Philip: "I attach a copy of my memo on disasters which incorporates your points and which I showed to my father. He showed it to HM [Her Majesty]."
Bellamy said in the docuseries that she thinks Savile acted as a "link" for Prince Charles to the British public, since he was a "man of the people" and the royal family can appear "stuffy."
Many of Savile's victims came forward before he died, but investigations at the time "fizzled out," according to The Times. The outlet also reported that the Prince of Wales paid tribute to Savile when he died.
The BBC's profile of Savile published in 2016 describes him as "one of Britain's biggest stars, a larger-than-life character," who "at the same time [...] was exploiting his status to prey on hundreds of people - girls and boys, men and women, but mostly vulnerable young females."
According to the BBC, which cites a 2013 investigation into Savile's activities, the abuse is believed to have started in the mid-1940s until 2009, and occurred "in television dressing rooms, hospitals, schools, children's homes and his caravan."