Part one of the sixth and final season of The Crown arrives on Netflix this month, and it’s set to cover one of the most tragic moments in royal history.
As revealed in the trailer, the show will depict Princess Diana’s 1997 trip to Paris with her boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed, which ended in tragedy when they were involved in a fatal car crash after being chased by paparazzi.
Fans of the show have rightly been concerned about how the show plans to go about handling the tragic nature of Diana’s death in a sensitive way.
However, several members of the cast and crew have since shed light on what to expect when the show reaches this moment.
Notably, the car crash itself will not be portrayed on screen. However, the surrounding circumstances, including the lead up, immediate aftermath, and the long-term impact of her passing, will be.
“Oh, God, we were never going to show the crash,” The Crown creator Peter Morgan told Variety, reaffirming “never”.
Executive producer Suzanne Mackie also previously assured viewers that the handling of Diana’s death will be handled “delicately” and “thoughtfully”.
Elizabeth Debicki, who returns in the role of the people’s princess, also had her own priorities about how to approach the portrayal of Diana’s final days.
“For me, one of the things that felt so important – because we know where the story is going – is to make sure that there was real joy and happiness and lightness and genuine fun on the screen,” she said in an interview with Netflix’s Tudum.
“That was really the piece I felt that I could control in a way, and that became a real focus.”
A source previously told Deadline more specific details about scenes surrounding The Princess of Wales’ death, revealing: “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.”
However, there was further concern last month when reports emerged that the final series would include a depiction of Diana’s ghost. The Daily Mail revealed that a ghost would emerge before a grieving Prince Charles as well as Queen Elizabeth.
But creator Peter quickly reacted to concerns that this would be tasteless or disrespectful in any way. “I never imagined it as Diana’s ‘ghost’ in the traditional sense,” he told Variety.
“It was her continuing to live vividly in the minds of those she has left behind. Diana was unique, and I suppose that’s what inspired me to find a unique way of representing her. She deserved special treatment narratively.”
Season six, part one of The Crown is out on Netflix 16 November. Part two drops on 14 December.