With the highly-anticipated release of the fifth season of Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning show The Crown, many are holding their breath as the season will be focused on the final days of Princess Diana. It has been 25 years since the Princess of Wales’ tragic death, raising the question, “Is it too early?”
According to Vanity Fair, a set source claimed that with Diana’s death “still so fresh and upsetting, it feels as though a line is being crossed,” adding, “some production staff are now starting to speak up about their feelings.” King Charles III’s spokesperson declined to comment on the piece, although sources close to Prince William are reportedly bracing for his negative reaction to the depiction.
Even members of productions share the same caution. “We’ve been dreading getting to this point, a source from The Crown’s production shared with Deadline on October 12. “The countdown is two weeks and while we’re calmly carrying on it’s fair to acknowledge that there’s a certain anxiety; a palpable sense of being slightly on edge.”
The sensitivity is completely understandable as the impact of this tragedy, though two and a half decades old, is still fairly raw.
Though much of the anticipating chatter has been negative, there are some positives as well. Actor Matt Smith who played Prince Phillip in the first and second season of The Crown recently made an appearance on The Today Show, where he shared an adorable interaction he had when meeting Prince Harry.
Prince Harry acknowledged his portrayal of his grandfather at a polo match, as Smith cheekily shared “he rocked up to me and he went, ‘Granddad.’” Smith then added that he “can’t claim to know if he watches [The Crown] currently, but he watched a bit of it then.”
The fifth season of The Crown is set to debut on Netflix on November 9.