01 November 2023 , 07:24
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Netflix series The Crown is likely to 'enrage' Prince William – as the programme will reportedly repeat shocking claims about his mother Princess Diana.
The Prince of Wales' late mother was 36-years-old when she died in August 1997 – following a car crash in Paris. Diana's boyfriend Dodi Fayed, who was 42 at the time, also died following the tragic accident.
After the tragedy, Dodi's father – Harrods boss Mohammed Fayed – claimed the princess was pregnant at the time of the accident. In the series, the first instalment of which is scheduled for release later this month, is said to repeat these claims as Dodi's father will reportedly be heard claiming the crash was an establishment plot to kill Diana and stop her from marrying Dodi.
Netflix's The Crown will reportedly repeat claims Princess Diana was pregnant at her time of death (Daniel Escale/Netflix)An insider has now claimed the repetition of the allegations will "likely enrage" Prince William, 41, who has been "upset by many Crown storylines that have featured his mother". They added to The Sun: "Hearing the claims about his mother’s pregnancy and the plot will feel like salt in the wound, particularly as so many of them have been debunked over the years."
This isn't the first time the Netflix series has risked to wrath of William as he issued a scathing statement slamming Martin Bashir's 1996 Panorama interview with the late Diana after an inquiry found the BBC covered up the journalist's "deceitful behaviour" to secure the televised chat. The Prince of Wales then urged for the interview to never be shown again.
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He said in 2021: "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."
However, the interview was later reimagined in the fifth instalment of the Netflix series, which was released the following year after William's statement in November 2022. Diana's friend Ingrid Seward, who is editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, told The Sun ahead of the Netflix series release: "William will be furious. He said his piece when he said it should never be aired again.
Prince William 'will likely be enraged' by the repetition of the claim (Getty Images)
Princess Diana died in 1997 (UK Press via Getty Images)"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." Meanwhile, the upcoming series of the programme also faced backlash over 'sickening' claims Princess Diana's ghost will appear in the final series.
The scene in question sees an apparition of Princess Diana talking to then-Prince Charles as he flew with her body back to the UK, following the tragic fatal car crash in Paris. The on-screen version of Diana reportedly tells Charles: "Thank you for how you were in hospital. So raw, broken—and handsome. I'll take that with me. You know I loved you so much. So deeply, so painfully too. That's over now. It will be easier for everyone with me gone."
It's said to be followed by a scene where Diana speaks to the Queen as a 'ghost', telling Elizabeth: "As long as anyone can remember, you’ve taught us what it means to be British. Maybe it’s time to show you’re ready to learn too." The rumours have already sparked controversy ahead of the season landing on Netflix.
Prince William is said to be "totally sickened" by the idea of his mother being recreated as a ghost. But the show's creator Peter Morgan said the representation of the character was more of a visualisation of thoughts than a supernatural spirit. He explained: "I never imagined it as Diana's 'ghost' in the traditional sense. 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."