‘The Crown’ under fire for how it will allegedly show Princess Diana’s death
Netflix’s royal drama “The Crown” has ignited controversy for how it allegedly plans to depict Princess Diana’s final moments on-screen.
Season 5 of the historical drama about the Windsor family will feature Elizabeth Debicki, 32, taking over the role of the Princess of Wales from Emma Corrin, while Dominic West, 53, will take over the role of Charles from Josh O’Connor.
According to the Irish Sun, the scenes depicting Diana’s tragic death have “sparked fury.”
Princess Diana died in 1997 at 37 following a car accident in Paris’ Pont de l’Alma tunnel while she was being pursued by paparazzi, sparking an international period of mourning.
A source from the show reportedly said that crew members are speaking out about the depiction of her death on-screen.
“To be going back to Paris and turning Diana’s final days and hours into a drama feels very uncomfortable. Finally, some of the crew members are pushing back,” they told the Sun.
“The show always tried to present a fictional version of royal history with as much sensitivity as possible. But lately, as things get closer to the present day, it feels harder to strike that balance. With some of those moments still so fresh and upsetting, it feels as though a line is being crossed.”
The series, which has won 21 Emmys to date, regularly trades actors as it follows these figures through the decades, with Matt Smith and Tobias Menzies playing different versions of Prince Philip, and Imelda Staunton, 66, taking over the role of Queen Elizabeth in Season 5 (played by Claire Foy and Olivia Colman in past seasons).
Another production source told Deadline that the car collision won’t be shown on-screen, but the events before and after the tragic event will be.
“It’s the run-up: the car leaving the Ritz after midnight with paparazzi in pursuit and then the aftermath with the British Ambassador to France swinging into action with the Foreign Office, and then the subsequent constitutional aftermath,” they said. “We’ve been dreading getting to this point … there’s a certain anxiety; a palpable sense of being slightly on the edge. There’s bombshell sensitivity surrounding this one.”
Season 5 of “The Crown” will premiere Nov. 9, and will be the show’s penultimate season.
