The Crown is about to make life very difficult for William and Harry

The royal brothers have enjoyed a golden few years, celebrating weddings and babies — but all of that is about to change.

Sometimes, being a royal can be tough. You have to spend Christmas rattling around freezing Balmoral with nothing to do but wait for an appropriate time to have a G&T or spend hours stomping across moors trying to kill small birds.

You have to attend endless church services and can’t be seen to nod off during the homily and you have to pretend you enjoy Eggs Drumkilbo.

The producers of ‘The Crown’ aren’t known for sparing any details.

And, these days, you also have to deal with having your family’s secrets being turned into hit TV series.

Thus far it’s a reasonable bet that seasons one and two of The Crown have probably not made a huge impact on the Windsors: Princess Margaret is sadly at the Great Big Bar In The Sky and the Queen doesn’t look the sort to spend her evenings streaming content (not when there are crozzles to finish and Prime Ministers to admonish).

However, that is all about to change.

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Later this year, season three will hit our screens and will cover the late ’60s to mid-70s, so expect to see a lot of Princess Anne wearing headscarves and Prince Charles bonking friend’s wives behind hedgerows (he was quite the randy sort back in the day).

Season four is when things are going to start to hit seriously close to home, with the introduction of Lady Diana Spencer.

In season four of the television show viewers will be introduced to Princess Diana.

This week it was revealed that The Crown’s producers are on the hunt for an actress to play the woman who would become the Princess of Wales, placing an ad that laid out their daunting requirements.

“We need a mesmerising new young star with extraordinary range,” it read. “She has to play charming comedy, flirt and social exhibitionist on the world stage, desperate and lonely self-harmer at her lowest ebb and the kind of psychological intensity of Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby.”

Desperate. Lonely. Self-harmer.

While it might be an accurate description of the doomed royal, this is bad news for Princes William and Harry.

The show will undoubtedly focus on the messy relationship between Diana and Charles, hitting close to home for Harry and William.

The show’s runners have pulled no punches in depicting the peccadillos, heartaches and absurdities of the Windsor clan thus far and the way they will portray the late Princess sounds terrifyingly accurate which will make it all the more painful for her sons.

Sure, it is a safe bet that Wills and Hazza won’t be logging on to watch their parents’ early relationship play out on the small screen, the series will cover incredibly fraught emotional territory and this, in turn, will firmly plonk Diana and Charles’ messy, sad relationship back into the spotlight.

In the first years of Charles and Diana’s marriage, she developed a serious eating disorder and was in significant emotional and psychological distress. He, meanwhile, struggled to understand his very young wife and failed to provide the care — and love — she so badly needed at the time.

Prince Harry and Princess Diana

Not only will their mother’s suffering be re-litigated by the media, so too will their father’s many failings.

For William and Harry, having such agonising family history put centre stage again will make it incredibly hard to avoid and will be absolutely heartbreaking.

The next seasons of The Crown will most likely be compelling and gripping viewing. But for Wills and Harry, the truth is about to really hurt.

— Daniela Elser is a royal expert and freelance writer. Continue the conversation @DanielaElser