The Crown's 'desire to knock Monarchy will cause a good deal of pain'

The Crown’s ‘desire to knock the monarchy will cause a good deal of pain’: Royal expert fears new Netflix series will continue to ‘take Diana’s side’ and harm the name of the King and Queen Consort

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams gave his view on The Crown ahead of release of Season 5 this month
Hit-royal drama will cover the 1990s and the breakdown of Princess Diana’s marriage to then Prince Charles
Controversy surrounds decision to include recreations of Diana’s 1995 interview with BBC’s Martin Bashir
Prince William has called for talk not to be shown again after report found Bashir used deceit to obtain it

The Crown’s desire to ‘knock’ the Monarchy ‘whenever possible’ will cause a ‘good deal of pain’, a royal expert has today claimed, after Netflix released a new trailer featuring acted scenes from the discredited Martin Bashir interview.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams says he fears the new season of the hit royal drama, set to air later this month, could harm the reputation of King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla.

Season 5 of the big-budget series will focus on the 1990s, Princess Diana’s failing marriage to Charles and the lead up to her tragic death in 1997.

It is also set to feature her bombshell interview with BBC Panorama in 1995, in which she alluded to Charles’ affair with Camilla by saying ‘there were three of us in this marriage’.

But the dramatisation of the interview by a private streaming service could cause tension with the royal family. It follows a report last year which found Bashir had used forged documents to play on Diana’s paranoia and coax her into the exclusive sit-down.

Following the report, by Lord Dyson, Prince William said Bashir’s deceit had hastened his parents’ divorce and ‘hurt countless others’ and called for it to never be aired again.

He also said those intending to write about it ‘need to address the false narrative’ that it had established. It is understood Netflix will feature a four-minute acted-out segment in the new series and that the show’s creators will contextualise the event with details now known about how it was obtained.

But royal commentator Mr Fitzwilliams believes bringing up the interview, and other parts of Diana’s final years, could bring up ‘a good deal of pain’ for the royal family, including both William and Prince Harry.

He told MailOnline: ‘There were always dangers which The Crown had to surmount as it moved into the 1990s.

Season 5 of the big-budget series will focus on the 1990s, Princess Diana’s failing marriage to Charles and the lead up to her tragic death in 1997. It is also set to feature her bombshell interview with BBC Panorama in 1995, in which she alluded to Charles’ affair with Camilla by saying ‘there were three of us in this marriage’. Pictured: Olivia Williams as Camilla and Dominic West as Charles, from season five of The Crown

The dramatisation of the 1995 interview (pictured) by a private streaming service could cause tension with the royal family following a report last year which found Bashir had used forged documents to play on Diana’s paranoia her and coax her into the exclusive sit-down

Following the report, by Lord Dyson, Prince William (pictured giving a statement following Lord Dyson’s report) said Bashir’s deceit in obtaining his interview Diana hastened his parents’ divorce and ‘hurt countless others’ and called for it to never be aired again

‘Apart from calls for a disclaimer before each episode, only observed so far in the marketing for the 5th series, it obviously had to show Diana’s interview on Panorama, probably the most famous television interview ever given, in some form. This interview has been totally discredited and the subsequent cover up by the BBC is notorious.

‘William has called for it never to be screened again and this depiction is bound to increase interest in it. Yet no series which purports to cover this period, as The Crown does, could possibly ignore it.

‘I am pretty certain it will be shown as a discredited and dubious enterprise and Bashir as the shockingly duplicitous character that he is.

‘I fear what is coming will cause a good deal of pain to those involved, Netflix will probably get a vast audience for it but indications from previews are that, for the royals, this is nothing short of a horror show.’

PR expert Mr Fitzwilliams believes the series will continue to ‘take Diana’s side’ in Season 5, following criticism of the last season, in which Diana was portrayed as naïve and overly trusting and Charles as uncaring

PR expert Mr Fitzwilliams also believes the series will continue to ‘take Diana’s side’ in Season 5, following criticism of the last season, in which Diana was portrayed as naïve and overly trusting and Charles as uncaring.

He said: ‘If The Crown continues to show Charles, as played by Josh O’Connor in the last series, as a laughably selfish and ineffective wimp it will be grotesque. Dominic West is a fine actor as is O’Connor.

‘The series as expected takes Diana’s side, at least up to now, but mocks the King and will do damage to his reputation and probably that of the Queen Consort too.

Given The Crown’s desire to knock the monarchy whenever possible, the 1990s, which was a nightmare for the royal family, is clearly the perfect opportunity.

‘Early reports indicate that they are portrayed as nothing better than a callous mafia, which Olivia Colman glumly presided over in Series 4 playing the Queen as an ill mannered and undignified creature without feelings.’

Meanwhile, royal writer Robert Jobson, believes the interview is a vital part of covering The Crown covering the royals in the 1990s.

Mr Jobson, co-author of Diana: Closely Guarded Secret written with Diana’s Scotland Yard Personal Protection Officer Ken Wharfe, told MailOnline: ‘My feeling about the Diana Interview has always been although it was obtained by nacreous means – lies in fact – Princess Diana at that time in her life wanted to have her say about a number of issues.

‘If she had not spoken to Martin Bashir in time she would have found a media outlet to do it. Nobody can change or rewrite history and the Diana interview was part of history watched by many millions.’

It comes after Netflix was accused of ignoring pleas from Prince William not to exploit Princess Diana’s bombshell Panorama interview with Martin Bashir during the fifth series of The Crown in a two-episode bombshell – which even shows her eldest son watching it on TV as a schoolboy and his father Charles crying while declaring: ‘What the hell is she doing?’

The popular series, which airs on November 9, is set to show recreate parts of the hour-long 1995 interview with the disgraced BBC journalist over two episodes and will include its most inflammatory parts.

Royal writer Robert Jobson, believes the interview is a vital part of covering The Crown covering the royals in the 1990s

It was initially thought that producers had cut the recreation to show just seconds of the interview, but it will instead be shortened to a four-minute and 23-second segment.

The recreation will show William watching on as a schoolboy at Eton, while Charles will be seen shouting and sobbing as she casts doubts on his ability to be King, The Sun reports.

The interview will also include Diana’s sensational remarks that ‘there were three of us in the marriage’ – a reference to Charles and Camilla.

She will say she wanted to be a ‘Queen in people’s hearts’, but does not believe she will ever become Queen.

But the decision to recreate the interview puts Netflix at odds with William, who has called for the groundbreaking scenes never to be aired again.

In a highly critical statement – a rarity for the royals – given after the findings of the Dyson report, William said: ‘It is my firm view that this Panorama programme holds no legitimacy and should never be aired again.

‘It effectively established a false narrative, which for over a quarter of a century has been commercialised by the BBC and others.

‘This narrative now needs to be addressed by the BBC and anyone else who has written, or intends to write about these events.’

It also comes despite Prince Harry, who claimed the interview ‘lost his mother her life’, having signed a £112million deal with the streaming service for him and his wife Meghan.

He branded it ‘unethical’ and claimed the interview triggered the events that caused his mother to lose her life two years later.

Meanwhile, William said Bashir’s deceit in obtaining his 1995 chat with Diana hastened his parents’ divorce and ‘hurt countless others’ and called for it to never be aired again.

Netflix is also said to have exaggerated language and made up sections of the interview, according to The Sun.

The popular series is set to show the hour-long 1995 interview with the disgraced BBC journalist over two episodes

The then Prince of Wales, played by Dominic West in The Crown, shown crying in the trailer for the show as Diana casts doubts on his ability to be King

Princess Diana pictured during her Panorama interview with Martin Bashir for the BBC in 1995

Elizabeth Debicki as Diana, Princess of Wales appearing in the fifth season of the streaming giant’s show, The Crown

Elizabeth Debicki plays Princess Diana in the Netflix series, which is now likely to face a backlash from royals

The decision to recreate the interview puts Netflix at odds with William, who has called for the groundbreaking scenes never to be aired again

The decision to recreate the interview comes despite Prince Harry, who claimed the interview ‘lost his mother her life’, having signed a £112million deal with the streaming service for him and his wife Meghan

How Charles and William reacted while watching the BBC Bashir interview with Princess Diana, according to The Crown

SCENE 1

Martin Bashir (MB): Your Royal Highness, do you genuinely believe that members of the royal household have been out to get you?

Princess Diana (PD): When I separated from the Prince of Wales I was seen as problem number one, the first of my kind.

SCENE 2

MB: When your first son was born, that must have been a very happy moment?

PD: When William was born I became unwell with postnatal depression. I just wanted to stay in bed all day. I was in a very dark place.

MB: Did you reach out for help?

PD: I suppose if you’re the first person in a family to ever feel low then it’s pretty hard to get the support you need, so you suffer alone.

SCENE 3

MB: Your husband is said to have rekindled his relationship with Mrs Camilla Parker Bowles around 1986, did this continue to the breakdown of your marriage?

PD: Well there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded. Was I devastated? Yes. Did I feel like a failure? Mmm.

MB: Reflecting back you say the Royal Family has effectively given up on you? Why do you think that is?

PD: Because I don’t do things the way they do. Because I want to connect with people emotionally and comfort them in distress.

MB: And this isn’t something that the Royal Family provides?

PD: You have to remember I didn’t just marry into a family I married into a system. But I won’t go quietly. I’ll battle till the end.

MB: What impact do you think the breakdown of your marriage had on Prince William?

PD: Well, he’s a boy that’s a serious thinker so it’s hard to know the impact just yet, we’ll have to wait a few years to see.

SCENE 4

William is watching it on TV at Eton but moves away from the screen when a teacher asks: ‘Are you ok?’

SCENE 5

MB: Do you believe Prince Charles will be King?

PD: Who knows what fate will bring, it’s a very demanding and suffocating role and Charles was always conflicted about it

SCENE 6

Prince Charles is watching the interview and exclaims: ‘Oh God’

He adds: ‘What the hell is she doing?’

SCENE 7

MB: Some might view this as you taking revenge on the Prince of Wales

PD: I don’t speak with bitterness or anger, but sorrow, because our marriage has failed.

SCENE 8

Charles is shown crying

SCENE 9

MB: Do you think you will ever be Queen?

PD: I’d like to be a queen of people’s hearts. But I don’t envisage myself ever being queen of this country, no. I don’t think many people will be calling for that, when I say people I mean those at the top, on my husband’s side, because they’ve decided I’m an issue, full stop. A liability.

But someone’s got to go out on to the streets and give people the love that they need.

Majesty Magazine editor-in-chief Ingrid Seward told the newspaper: ‘William will be furious. He said his piece when he said it should never be aired again. This is his mother and her memory they are doing this to.

‘It must be very frustrating as he can’t say any more because it will just give Netflix more publicity.

‘They should have listened to him. The interview has no credibility after the investigation. Everyone knows it has no legitimacy now.

‘Charles will think they can say whatever they want about him but leave Harry and William out of it. He won’t give a stuff about how he comes across but just don’t attack his sons this way.’

The dramatisation of the interview will attribute blame to King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, and depict Diana in a sympathetic light.

Charles is shown yelling and swearing as Diana gives the interview, with the scene ending with him breaking down in tears alongside Camilla.

William, meanwhile, is shown watching the interview as a young boy attending Eton.

Visibly upset, his schoolmaster begins to console him, but William insists he is ‘fine’ before walking away from the TV.

A spokesperson for the prince has been approached for comment, but William said in April that the interview ‘played on her fears and fuelled paranoia’.

Reacting to Lord Dyson’s damning report into how the original interview was obtained, he said: ‘It is welcome that the BBC accepts Lord Dyson’s findings in full – which are extremely concerning – that BBC employees: lied and used fake documents to obtain the interview with my mother; made lurid and false claims about the Royal Family which played on her fears and fuelled paranoia; displayed woeful incompetence when investigating complaints and concerns about the programme; and were evasive in their reporting to the media and covered up what they knew from their internal investigation.’

He added: ‘It is my view that the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said.’

‘This Panorama programme holds no legitimacy and should never be aired again. It effectively established a false narrative which, for over a quarter of a century, has been commercialised by the BBC and others.’

The independent report plunged the BBC into one of the worst crises in its history, with the two royals accusing it of ruining their mother’s life and helping to bring about the events that led to her death two years later.

Despite this, the episodes have gone ahead as planned.

Insiders said: ‘The Crown’s creators see the interview as the keystone moment in series five. 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.

‘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.’

Bashir commissioned forged bank statements in flagrant breach of BBC rules to convince Earl Spencer to introduce him to Diana, Lord Dyson concluded in his excoriating inquiry.

Bashir admitted at the time to having the documents forged, but denied ever showing them to anybody.

A Netflix spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Season 5 of The Crown will dramatise events surrounding the Panorama interview, given the pivotal part it played during the time period the series covers. It will reflect what we now know about how the interview was obtained and how Diana was treated. The interview is not recreated in full.’

It comes as Netflix is already facing accusations of ‘insensitivity’ from Diana’s friends after crew from The Crown were spotted filming the moments leading up to her fatal car crash – just 100 yards from the Paris tunnel where she died 25 years ago.

Our exclusive photographs showed filming of a Mercedes in Paris near the site of the car crash that claimed her and Dodi Al Fayed’s lives.

Onlookers said Netflix crew were seen filming between 2am and 3am today around 100 yards from the Alma tunnel, where the crash happened in the early hours of August 31, 1997.

The pictures show a black Mercedes like the one the couple were travelling in on that tragic day being filmed in another nearby tunnel on the same road.

Netflix has insisted the ‘exact moment’ of the crash will not feature in the controversial drama, which has recently come under fire for sensationalism and inaccuracy.

A friend of Diana’s said the show’s makers could face accusations of ‘insensitivity’ over the filming in Paris. Debbie Frank, who was Diana’s astrologer, said it would be ‘terrible’ for Princes William and Harry to see a recreation of the moments leading up to their mother’s death.

‘It’s obviously terrible for Diana’s children to have to see that again. It’s insensitive,’ she said.

She added: ‘I feel Diana’s death and the crash was the biggest shock our generation. It had such a huge impact across the national psyche.

‘I guess the makers of The Crown feel they are entitled to show a re-enactment of scenes leading up to her death and that it has dramatic impact. But relatives would think otherwise.’

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