Prince Harry ‘had a sense of humour’ about his friend Orlando Bloom voicing him in The Prince, says creator Gary Janetti

Actor and royal recently made friends as they live near each other in California

Gary Janetti, the creator of HBO’s controversial cartoon, The Prince, has said that Prince Harry was “aware” his friend Orlando Bloom would be voicing his character.

The Prince made headlines when it arrived last month, with many calling its mockery of Prince George “cruel” – but he wasn’t the only royal to be ridiculed, with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle featuring heavily in the episodes.

Created by Family Guy writer Janetti, the series follows the imagined inner workings of the royal family through the eyes of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s eldest child, who is third in line to the throne.

During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Janetti was asked by a fan whether Bloom had discussed his role in the series with his friend and neighbour.

Janetti replied: “I don’t know if Harry has said anything to Orlando about it, but I know before the show premiered, he was aware that Orlando was doing it. And he seemed to have a sense of humour about it.”

Earlier this year, Prince Harry told Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert show that he’d become friends with Bloom and his fiancé, the singer Katy Perry, as they “live just down the road” in California. The royal said that he and Bloom exchange texts warning each other about paparazzi in the area.

In a previous interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Bloom said that The Prince is “not malicious or intended to be”.

In one of the episodes, the cartoon character of Prince Harry reveals that he wanted to be a massage therapist when he was younger.

To which Markle responds: “Ah... I wanted to be a princess.”

“Oh, well you kind of f***ed that up,” comes her husband’s reply.

The cast of The Prince also includes Lucy Punch as the Duchess of Cambridge, Dan Stevens as Prince Charles and Sophie Turner as Princess Charlotte.