The Crown sparks fury over Princess Diana’s ‘controversial royal wedding slur’
A royal biographer has criticised the sixth season of The Crown for misrepresenting the late Princess Diana and “exploiting her memory”.
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Netflix drama The Crown will risk angering the Royal Family when it shows Princess Diana describing her wedding to Prince Charles as like stepping on a landmine.
In the sixth and final series, Diana — known for her charity work helping landmine victims — is seen on a yacht with her boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed.
Diana visited Bosnia and Herzegovina in August 1997 to see clearance activities and meet landmine victims just weeks before her death.
In the scripted series, the Princess of Wales tells Dodi that the devices have killed thousands of people while survivors are often rejected by their communities because of their injuries.
Diana, played by Elizabeth Debicki, tells Dodi (Khalid Abdalla): “A man called Ken Rutherford drew my attention to it. He started the Landmine Survivors Network. After his jeep hit a landmine in Somalia he lost both of his legs.
“He said to me every survivor has a date of the day they stepped on the landmine. He said, ‘Mine was December 16, 1963’. I said, ‘Mine was 29 July, 1981 — my wedding day’.”
But according to The Sun, royal biographer Ingrid Seward, who knew the late Princess, said: “Diana would never have said anything like that. I think it is an unfortunate comparison.
“I think the mere fact that The Crown is depicting Diana’s life and her death is exploiting her memory so they can put into her mouth anything that they want to — however distasteful people might find it.”
Of Diana’s work to raise awareness of landmines, Ingrid said: “It was very important - it was her big thing and it was a great success too. It is something that she will always be remembered for.”
The Ottawa Treaty - banning landmines was signed in December 1997 - three months after her death.
THE CROWN’S FINAL SEASON: 10 MUST-KNOW TWISTS
When The Crown debuted in 2016, creator Peter Morgan’s painstakingly crafted drama was billed as the most expensive TV series ever, reportedly costing $100 million for the first season alone.
It proved Netflix could be as highbrow as the BBC, and has garnered a haul of 21 Emmys for its 50 episodes so far. Netflix boss Ted Sarandos has lovingly described the show as the streamer’s “crown jewel – pun intended.”
As we come to the end of Morgan’s ambitious project, here are 10 things you need to know about its sixth and final season.
The final season will be split into two parts
Part one, which premieres on November 16, will be four episodes mainly about Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, and part two, which drops December 14, will have six eps focusing on Prince William, Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee, and Charles and Camilla.
It won’t reach the present day
Even breaking it into two parts, there won’t be any Megxit references. Morgan has made it very clear by saying, “season six will not bring us any closer to present day – it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail”.
Who’s back in the cast
Imelda Staunton will reprise her role as the Queen Elizabeth II, and Lesley Manville will play Princess Margaret. Staunton said as she started filming on season six saying, “I haven’t really thought about bringing the show to a close. I will really miss being her, but there is a long way to go.” Previous Queen Elizabeth actors Claire Foy and Olivia Colman will return to the final season for a special tribute to the late Queen. Elizabeth Debicki – who has been nominated for an Emmy – will again play Princess Diana, while Jonathan Pryce will return as Prince Philip and Dominic West as Prince Charles.
Who’s Not?
Conspicuously absent from the final season is Prince Andrew, whose friendship with financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein developed around the turn of the century. “Haven’t gone anywhere near him,” admits Morgan, who says his focus has always been on the direct line of succession: Elizabeth, Charles, William. “I do little bits of dramatisation of Harry but mainly only in relationship to William.”
Diana’s death is a major focus
“It’s a really unique challenge as an actor, to portray those days,” Debicki has said of filming these scenes. “I really just trusted in Peter’s emotional blueprint that he created for us to follow. It’s his interpretation and I think it made emotional sense to me, so I clung to that. Because, obviously, it’s devastating and it’s fraught and we can never know.” Dominic West shared that season six will be “as tumultuous as it gets,” – but there are some places it will not go. A Netflix source confirmed “the exact moment of the crash impact will not be shown”.
Kate and Wills’ first meeting
The now Prince and Princess of Wales first met in 2001, when they were studying at St Andrews University in Scotland. Rufus Kampa and Ed McVey will portray William as a teenager, and Meg Bellamy will appear opposite McVey’s William as Kate. Dominic West’s son Senan played Prince William in season five, but as Charles and William’s relationship becomes more complicated in season six, West has said he “felt a bit uncomfortable,” and was relieved when his son wasn’t cast for season six.
Can we expect any controversy?
Definitely. Diana’s death is a whole can of worms, and it will be particularly interesting to see how the show depicts her funeral procession, an event Prince Harry has often described as traumatising. Camilla’s acceptance into the royal fold was a years-long process that happened gradually through this period. Charles threw a lavish birthday party for her in July 1997, with the press calling it “Charles’s most public statement yet about the woman he has doted on for more than two decades.” (Dominic West has confirmed the birthday party makes it on to the show.)
How will it all end?
Netflix has already suggested dropped a big hint about this, saying in September: “The Crown Season 6 kindly requests your presence at the nuptials of His Royal Highness, Charles, The Prince of Wales (Dominic West) and Ms Camilla Parker Bowles (Olivia Williams) in the fall of 2023.” Netflix’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria vows that viewers will be blown away by the finale. “Peter did such an amazing job at weaving all of these stories together and really leaving us with such a powerful emotional ending,” he says. “It really does give you the feeling of honouring the Queen’s entire reign.”
Will the royals be watching?
While most working royals won’t admit to watching the show, Prince Harry on his Spare book tour told US talk show host Stephen Colbert that he both watches and fact-checks. A friend of Queen Camilla has said she’s a fan as well. But recent reports claim Prince William may be upset by the season’s inclusion of Diana in ghostly form, visiting both the Queen and Charles following her death. “He won’t watch it, but he will be totally sickened by it,” someone close to William said.
Is there any chance at all of a season 7?
The Crown hasn’t been renewed. The upcoming sixth season is billed as the last in the series. However, the show has already been extended beyond its predicted end once. If the final episodes of the show are as successful, perhaps Netflix will hit up Morgan to put his The Crown prequel idea into development.
The Crown, Thursday, Netflix
Originally published as The Crown sparks fury over Princess Diana’s ‘controversial royal wedding slur’
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