Coming into its fifth season Netflix’s multi-award winner The Crown is releasing tiny morsels detailing what the audience can expect to see when the next instalment finally arrives in November 2022.
Reports released this week suggest that in the next season, The Crown will recreate Princess Diana’s controversial tell-all interview with Martin Bashir. The Panorama interview was held in 1995 and will have an entire episode of The Crown dedicated to it as it was such a pivotal moment in the royal family’s history.
Normally this wouldn’t be newsworthy, however, it is a controversial pick for the Peter Morgan hit, as actual royals Prince William and Prince Harry have both made public statements condemning the interview. One can only assume they would also condemn a program getting ratings and views from recreating the interview in its entirety.
In a statement, William shared that the interview with Bashir was a “false narrative” which “holds no legitimacy and should never be aired again”.
Harry said that the interview was one of the factors which directly caused Diana’s death, saying “our mother lost her life because of this and nothing has changed”.
However, producers of The Crown have seen the interview as crucial to the fifth seasons plot. Given that the program is based on real events, the media hype around Princess Diana and her subsequent death is an element which must be covered, should the show wish to stay historically accurate.
“To the writers, the stormy marriage between Charles and Di led up to her outpouring on Panorama, and the aftermath of that decision defined her final months,” The Sun reported.
“They are making a huge investment in that. The Crown has a track record of delving into areas of the Royal Family’s history they’d rather be left alone.”
For season five, the cast of The Crown will be shaken up again.
Aussie actor Elizabeth Debicki will take on the role of Diana, joining an all-star cast for the final seasons. Imelda Staunton will take on the role of Queen Elizabeth II, from Olivia Colman, who was recently awarded an Emmy for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth at the Emmy’s. Staunton recently recorded a short video prefacing her performance, and thanking both Colman and her predecessor Claire Foy for their hard work in upholding such a dignified role.