After “ghost Diana” raised a lot of eyebrows, the final instalments of The Crown have proved to be just as intriguing, including a nightmare sequence in which the Queen watches Tony Blair taking over her throne, and an imagined scene where the late monarch seeks advice from her younger self.
But there’s another scene from the latest batch of episodes that’s also got fans talking in a big way.
In the seventh instalment of the award-winning Netflix drama’s final season, viewers see Prince William and Kate Middleton meet for the first time at university – although The Crown suggests they actually came face-to-face years earlier.
The episode begins with a flashback scene where Princess Diana and her eldest son are seen selling copies of The Big Issue in public, only for William to be approached by his future wife.
From there, we learn that she develops a bit of a crush on the prince, with many critics pointing out that her mum Carol Middleton doesn’t exactly come across all too well, as she tries to force their paths to cross again.
Well, as has often been the case with The Crown, it turns out this sequence isn’t actually based in reality.
During a trip to Wales earlier this year, the real Kate Middleton lamented that she “never sadly got to meet” Diana, telling reporters: “I think she would have loved being a grandmother so much. She’d be absolutely brilliant, we miss her every day.”
And as for having photos of William on her wall, as The Crown suggests, Kate shot down those suggestions back in 2010, when the couple first got engaged.
“He wishes!” she joked. “No. No, I had the Levi’s guy on my wall, not a picture of William. Sorry!”
Producer Oona O’Beirn recently told The Big Issue the magazine was chosen for the storyline “because we were keen to show more of the charitable side of Princess Diana’s character – specifically in regard to her work with the homeless – and were aware that it was work she wanted her sons to be exposed to and get involved in”.
She added: “In terms of character building, we were keen for Kate to see William as someone kind and compassionate. And, particularly given the majority of the episode takes place after his mother’s death, someone who was deeply influenced by his mother’s legacy.
“We wanted to portray Kate as someone who would be drawn to a person with these qualities, rather than simply someone who is royal, rich and famous.
“By helping his mother sell The Big Issue, the magazine came to represent Prince William’s charitable nature and groundedness.”
The Crown’s loose approach to the truth has been one of the show’s most controversial aspects during its six-season run.
Dame Judi Dench previously made headlines when she accused the show of “crude sensationalism” and pointed out it is a “fictionalised drama” that a “significant number of viewers” could perceive as factual.
Miriam Margolyes later agreed that she didn’t think the Royal Family should “have their life made into a soap opera as they’re still living it”.
Jonathan Pryce, who plays Prince Philip in seasons five and six, jumped to the show’s defence, voicing his “bitter disappointment” at “fellow artistes” who’ve spoken out against The Crown.
All six seasons of The Crown are available to stream now on Netflix.