- In recent years, The Crown has come under criticism for inaccuracies and embellishments in telling its story of the Royal Family.
- Season 6 is therefore being placed under a close microscope by fans and critics alike.
- Several key moments within season 6 of The Crown do stray slightly from the true story in order to tell a more dramatic tale.
While early seasons of The Crown took place in the decades before many viewers were born, the events of season 6, which take place in the 1990s, are recent enough to be within memory for most Netflix fans, meaning the latest installment has been placed under more scrutiny than ever.
Diana’s meeting with Tony Blair
In the opening episode of season 6, newly elected prime minister, Tony Blair, receives a visit from Princess Diana and Prince William. He later relays to Queen Elizabeth II that Diana “feels strongly that she has a lot to offer to the country as a public servant” and would consider working with the government in an “official role.”
As the Independent reports, Downing Street confirmed that Diana did indeed visit the prime minister and discussed the possibility of her becoming an ‘ambassador’ for the United Kingdom overseas.
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Queen Elizabeth not taking kindly to Camilla
Later in episode 1, Prince Charles holds a 50th birthday celebration for Camilla Parker Bowles which his mother the Queen says that she cannot attend to due to a prior engagement at the Rolls Royce factory in Derbyshire, which Charles feels is a snub on her part. In a conversation she has with Prince Philip, the Queen says that she doesn’t want for Camilla to be thought of as “wicked, because she’s not.”
In actual fact, Queen Elizabeth II is reported to have had an initially frosty relationship with Camilla and even called her “that wicked woman” in a conversation with Prince Charles according to the Independent. Despite not beginning on the best of terms, Elizabeth and Camilla would eventually grow closer as the years passed.
Dodi Fayed’s engagement and lawsuit
A running background plot thread in season 6 is that of Dodi Fayed’s previous relationship before getting involved with Princess Diana. The series states that Dodi was engaged to American model Kelly Fisher and that she filed a lawsuit against him after she discovered that he had been seeing Diana.
In the true story that inspired events in The Crown season 6, Kelly held a press conference where she announced that she was filing a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Dodi as he had supposedly asked her to quit her modeling career in order to focus on their relationship and divulged that he had proposed to her, although this was denied by his family. Following Dodi’s death, the lawsuit was dropped.
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Diana’s relationship with paparazzi
While a chase with paparazzi ultimately led to her death, Diana is shown to have a surprisingly close relationship with several of the photographers who follow her on holiday in season 6. In one scene, she confronts them, calling one by name, to complain that their antics have been “freaking out her sons.”
Tina Brown, the author of the controversial 2007 book Diana Chronicles, claimed Diana would reportedly give tip-offs to the press as she “couldn’t resist giving them the images they wanted.” This claim was backed up by photographer Jason Fraser who told the Daily Mail that Diana invited him to capture her and Dodi’s vacation in the summer of 1997.
Mohamed Al-Fayed meddling in Dodi and Diana’s relationship
During the early episodes of The Crown’s sixth season, Dodi’s father Mohamed Al-Fayed is seen repeatedly trying to interfere in his son’s relationship with Diana, even asking the maid if they had been “intimate” with one another.
According to biographer Tom Bower in the Times, Al-Fayed allegedly revealed to have “rapidly bought a yacht suitable for his son’s seduction of her.” Whether he himself was involved in arranging the infamous photo of Diana and Dodi, however, is unknown.
Dodi proposing to Diana on their last night
During their final night together in the Netflix series, Dodi pulls out an engagement ring that Diana had previously pointed out in Monaco and was preparing to propose until the princess quickly put a stopper in his plans, saying: “I know the whole world is wondering if we’re going to get married, but that’s not a reason to actually do it.”
In reality, Dodi did not propose to the people’s princess but during the inquest into the pair’s death in 2007, CCTV footage was shown revealing that Fayed had bought an engagement ring engraved with the words “Dis-moi Oui (Tell me yes),” worth £11,600 from a jewellers in Paris on the afternoon before the crash.
Prince William’s disappearance at Balmoral
After receiving the tragic news of his mother’s death, Prince William goes missing from Balmoral in Scotland, prompting a desperate search by Prince Charles, Prince Harry and several of the household staff. Unable to find him, they return to the castle, only for William to return of his own volition after spending 14 hours out in the rain as the Queen reveals.
While it is true that William and Harry stayed with the Queen at Balmoral in the wake of Diana’s death, it’s unknown if the young prince had gone missing while there as depicted in season 6 of The Crown. During a visit to Scotland in 2021, William did speak of his time at Balmoral in 1997, recalling that he “found comfort and solace in the Scottish outdoors.”
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Part 1 of The Crown season 6 is available to stream now on Netflix after releasing on November 16 while part 2 will arrive on December 14, 2023.
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