The Crown share new footage of controversial series
The Crown stars reveal they wanted to portray the ‘quiet dramas’ the royals faced behind closed doors amid backlash over ‘fictional’ scenes as Elizabeth Debicki and Dominic West portray Diana and Charles during happier times in new footage
- A new interview with the cast saw them discuss the challenges of filming and featured unseen footage
- The Crown has been criticised for sensationalising events and including fictionalised scenes with the royals
- Season five will premiere on Netflix on Wednesday, November 9
The Crown stars have discussed the struggle balancing storylines that are known by the public with the ‘quiet dramas’ the royals faced behind closed doors.
The Netflix series has come under fire for sensationalising events and including fictionalised scenes, with the show hitting back at its critics and insisting that the show has always been an ‘interpretation’ of events as well as including a disclaimer that describes the show as a ‘fictional dramatisation’.
In a new video released by the streaming giant, the cast of season five sat down to discuss the controversial series as well as sharing more footage ahead of the release date on Wednesday, November 9.
New footage: In a new video released Netflix, the cast of season five sat down to discuss the controversial series as well as sharing more footage (pictured Dominic West as Prince Charles and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana with their children Prince William (Timothee Samborand) and Harry (Teddy Hawley)
Lesley Manville, who plays Princess Margaret in the new series, explained: ‘There’s all the big epic stories going on – the stories everyone knows about because they’re history – but then there’s all the little quiet dramas going on underneath.’
She added: ‘We’ve all seen the first four seasons of The Crown so we have that in our heads as well as the research, our own history of looking at those characters so all those layers we have hopefully carry us through.’
Elizabeth Debicki, who plays Princess Diana in the show, added: ‘It pushes you to either find new ways to approach it or get around the added layers of pressure.’
Imelda Staunton – who plays Queen Elizabeth II – began the clip by stating: ‘It does start with people questioning, ‘Do we need the monarchy?’ ‘Do we need the Queen?’ And she has to ride that particular storm.’
Family fun: In the footage the on-screen family can be seen smiling as they sit aboard a boat. The scene is believed to depict the couple’s holiday to Italy with their children in 1991
The Crown creator and writer Peter Morgan added: ‘Season five plays against a period of real criticism and uncertainty and unconfidence. It’s quite shocking how overtly critical people were of the monarchy at that time.’
Dominic West, who plays Prince Charles went on to address the ‘great tensions’ in the season, explaining ‘between this 1950s outlook on the monarchy and on public life and on marriage, and the modern-day and how they clash.’
As for the future queen consort, ‘Camilla goes from being a sort of … ‘close friend’ of Charles to being the subject of media scrutiny,’ said Williams, 54.
Struggle: Lesley Manville, who plays Princess Margaret in the new series, explained,’There’s all the big epic stories going on – the stories everyone knows about because they’re history – but then there’s all the little quiet dramas going on underneath’
The featurette concluded with Imelda in character as the Queen, saying in a speech, ‘If we can’t admit the errors of our past, what hope for reconciliation can there be?’
With the previous two seasons of The Crown covering the three decades before the Nineties the entire team have been recast for this series’ 13-year time frame of 1990 to 2003.
Focusing heavily on the fallout between Princess Diana and King Charles (then Prince of Wales) the new series will showcase a number of low points for the royals.
Under fire: The Netflix series has come under fire for sensationalising events and including fictionalised scenes , with the show hitting back at its critics and insisting that the show has always been an ‘interpretation’ of events
Among them are Charles and Diana’s marriage breakdown, the late royal’s controversial Panorama interview and the notorious ‘tampongate’ phone call between the King and Queen Consort.
One of the most controversial aspects of the series is how it will tackle the death of Diana, with Netflix facing scrutiny over the decision to recreate the final days of Princess Diana, shooting some scenes in Paris, where she died.
The streaming giant was recently forced by the row to add a disclaimer to its trailer for season five saying it was a ‘fictional dramatisation… inspired by real events’.
Lesley added: ‘We’ve all seen the first four seasons of The Crown so we have that in our heads as well as the research, our own history of looking at those characters so all those layers we have hopefully carry us through’
Speaking out: Elizabeth Debicki said of the challenges of playing well-documented people: ‘It pushes you to either find new ways to approach it or get around the added layers of pressure’
It followed accusations of callousness amid reports the show will recreate the Paris car chase that resulted in Diana’s death and scenes of young princes William and Harry following their mother’s coffin in a future season.
Acting royalty Dame Judi Dench, who is close to King Charles and Camilla, has accused the programme of being ‘crude and hurtful’.
Dame Judi, 87, who has played Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, told The Times the series risked damaging the monarchy. The Oscar-winning actress blamed it for ‘crude sensationalism’ and blurring fact and fiction.
Tensions: Imelda Staunton – who plays Queen Elizabeth II – began the clip by stating: ‘It does start with people questioning, ‘Do we need the monarchy?’ ‘Do we need the Queen?’ And she has to ride that particular storm’
Former Prime Minister Sir John Major criticised a scene which shows him having a conversation with then Prince Charles about the possibility of the Queen abdicating as ‘malicious nonsense’.
The previous fourth series of the drama was criticised for not doing enough to tell viewers it was a work of fiction.
The Crown has been a hit for Netflix since it was first released in 2016 with the main characters being regularly recast to follow the age of the royals in their respective timelines.
Earlier this month a trailer for season five showed the royal family in crisis during the new episodes, detailing the events leading up to Princess Diana’s 1997 death.
Seeing double: The unseen footage saw Diana and Charles sporting similar outfits to the looks on their royal tour of Brazil in 1991 (right)
The sneak peek shows Elizabeth Debicki whizzing away from paparazzi as she drives at full speed in a tense car chase scene.
Being released on November 9, another scene from the new season displays the character floating in a pool in a skimpy swimsuit – as she battles the crisis of royal protocol and family scandal in front of the nation.
Throughout the trailer, emphasis is placed on pressure the royal family faced during the 1990s as the marriage between Prince Charles and Princess Diana broke down – while also covering the late Monarch (Imelda Staunton) and her reaction to the Windsor Castle Fire of 1992.
lt will also include an entire episode focusing on Diana’s controversial sit-down interview with BBC journalist Martin Bashir in 1995, in which she sensationally said ‘there were three of us in the marriage’ – a reference to Charles and Camilla.
The Crown TRAILER: A shock new teaser released earlier this month showed Diana screeching to a halt in car chase scene and in skimpy swimsuit as she floats in a pool as Royal Family is ‘plagued by scandal’ in most controversial series yet
‘I never stood a chance’: The new trailer shows Diana in a skin-baring simwsuit as she floats in the water while appearing at a loss
Over the first three series of The Crown, the Netflix hit has become well known for bending facts to suit its narrative, and while some artistic license is inevitable, some critics have been outraged in its rewriting of history and relationships.
But in it’s most controversial series yet, the brand new trailer declares that the ‘royal family is in genuine crisis’, as it depicts at-the-time Prince Charles and Diana’s divorce.
Actress Elizabeth’s voice can be heard explaining that Diana ‘never stood a chance’ in the trailer, as shots show the royal whizzing down a street while driving a black car at high speed to avoid paparazzi.
The dramatic scene shows an overwhelmed Diana at the wheel, donning a red puffer jacket as she struggles to keep control of the wheel.
Misunderstood: An upset Diana is seen at the side of the pool, with a voiceover sharing that ‘People will never understand how it’s really been for me’
Revenge dress: It also documents the iconic moment Diana stepped out in her famous ‘revenge dress’ at the 1994 dinner at the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens.
Nailed it: Originally designed by Christina Stambolian, the dress was off the shoulder and featured a royal-rule breaking hem – with Elizabeth looking the spitting image of the late royal in the new scenes
The forthcoming season five will document the events leading up to Diana’s death, but won’t reveal the tragic incident until season six – with it recently being revealed that the 1997 car crash which led to her death won’t be shown in the season.
In the early hours of 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, died from a car crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris, France. Dodi Fayed, Diana’s partner, and Henri Paul, the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140 S-Class, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Khalid Abdalla will portray her partner Dodi in the new season, while Salim Dau takes on the role of Mohamed Al-Fayed.
Netflix insists Diana’s death, in a car crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in central Paris, will not be recreated in the new series.
Identical: Olivia Williams’ (left) portrays Camilla Parker Bowles (right), with the trailer showing Camilla and Charles together in an intimate moment
Diana and Mohamed: Salim Dau (left with Elizabeth) takes on the role of Mohamed Al-Fayed (right with Diana in 1996)
But one source recently told The Sun: ‘To be going back to Paris and turning Diana’s final days and hours into a drama feels very uncomfortable.
‘The show always tried to present a fictional version of royal history with as much sensitivity as possible. But lately, as things get closer to the present day, it feels harder to strike that balance.’
Throughout the trailer, emphasis is placed on pressure the royal family faced during the 1990s as the marriage between Prince Charles and Princess Diana broke down.
Dubbing the fifth season as ‘the beginning of the end’, the new trailer shows Diana in a skin-baring swimsuit as she floats in the water while appearing at a loss.
Reaction: Imelda Staunton portrays the late Queen Elizabeth in the show, shopwing her reaction to the breakdown of her son’s marriage
Windsor Castle fire: The show shows her reacting to the Windsor Castle Fire of 1992, as she can be heard speaking about the difficult year she has had in her Christmas Day address to the nation
It also documents the iconic moment Diana stepped out in her famous ‘revenge dress’ at the 1994 dinner at the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens.
Originally designed by Christina Stambolian, the dress was off the shoulder and featured a royal-rule breaking hem – with Elizabeth looking the spitting image of the late royal in the new scenes.
Imelda Staunton portrayed the late Monarch as she reacted to the Windsor Castle Fire of 1992, as she can be heard speaking about the difficult year she has had in her Christmas Day address to the nation, in what came to be known as her ‘Annus Horribilis’ speech.
She says: ‘In light of the events of the last 12 months, perhaps I have more to reflect on than most.’
The Queen’s annus horribilis saw the fire break out on 10 November at the royal residence Windsor Castle, which destroyed 115 rooms, including nine State Rooms.
While the on-screen monarch can be seen telling son Charles that he ‘has a duty as future king’, during the family turmoil.
The dramatised trailer shows the royal family declaring that Diana ‘wants to bring down the temple’, before depicting her famous interview with BBC journalist Martin Bashir, played by Prasanna Puwanarajah.
Famous interview: The trailer depicts her famous interview with BBC journalist Martin Bashir (right) played by Prasanna Puwanarajah (left)
Netflix used a dramatised recreation of Princess Diana’s bombshell Panorama interview with disgraced BBC journalist Bashir to advertise their new series of The Crown today – despite Prince William’s demands that the interview be taken off air.
The fifth season of the streaming giant’s popular series The Crown will include an entire episode focusing on the Royal’s controversial sit-down with Bashir in 1995, in which she sensationally said ‘there were three of us in the marriage’ – a reference to Charles and Camilla.
The interview, originally broadcast by Panorama, has since been debunked after it was revealed interviewer Bashir gained access and trust of Diana using falsified information.
Turbulent time: It also shows journalisy Martin declaring that Diana is ‘at breaking point’
Making a stand: Diana famously declares that she ‘won’t go quietly’ in the trailer, notoriously standing up against the royal family with the interview
Timothee Sambo (pictured left) portrays an uneasy-looking Prince William as he stands in front of the world’s media in the Netflix trailer for series five of The Crown. He pastes on a smile before looking overwhelmed by the occasion
Leading the country: Johnny Lee Miller, who portrays former British Prime Minister John Major, says in the trailer: ‘It feels it’s all about to erupt’
It was watched by 23 million people. It is thought to have contributed to her divorce from Prince Charles in 1996 – a year prior to her fatal car crash in the Tunnel de l’Alma in Paris.
Bashir showed Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, false bank statements which suggested his former head of security had been receiving money from tabloids and the security services to spy on his sister.
However, the decision to recreate the Panorama interview puts Netflix at odds with William, who called for the groundbreaking scenes to never to be aired again.
Fireworks: Dominic West and Olivia Williams’ portray at-the-time Prince Charles and Camilla as they’re seen locking lips with a firework display going off in the background
Iconic ring: The show has recreated Diana’s iconic blue sapphire engagement ring, with Elizabeth sported the rock as her character struggles with the breakdown of her marriage
In the trailer, Diana can be seen sitting down with Bashir, while a voiceover says: ‘I won’t go quietly.’
Charles, portrayed by Dominic West, can also be seen with Olivia Williams’ Camilla Parker Bowles, with the trailer showing an intimate moment between the pair.
Playing the couple in the scandal-filled 1990s era for the Royal Family – the pair are seen locking lips with a firework display going off in the background.
They are also seen in a tender moment as the then-Prince of Wales clasps Diana’s infamous sapphire necklace around his lover’s neck while they share an intimate look in the mirror.
Risking the order: The dramatised trailer shows the royal family declaring that Diana ‘wants to bring down the temple’
Mistreatment: It suggests mistreatment of Diana by the royal family, showing them shun her for the breakdown of her and Charles’ marriage
Although the Diana, Charles and Camilla are the main focus of the series, one shot clearly shows the strain on their children, as they have to deal with the breakdown of their parents’ marriage with the eyes of the world upon them.
Prince William, who was just 15 years old when his mother passed away following a car crash in Paris in August 1997, appears uneasy as he steps out with his family in a short clip in the trailer.
The family is pictured smiling outside a house as camera crews shout from outside the property and cameras flash in their face, with a young Prince William, played by the 12-year-old actor Timothee Sambor, grimacing as he puts on a smile.
Johnny Lee Miller, who portrays former British Prime Minister John Major, says in the trailer: ‘It feels it’s all about to erupt’.
But the real John recently slammed the series as ‘damaging and malicious fiction’ and a ‘barrel-load of nonsense’. His comments were in response to U.K. media rumors that season five suggests then-Prince Charles wanted to replace his mother on the throne and sought out Major’s support.
New: Prince Philip is portrayed by Jonathan Pryce (left) in the highly anticipated season (the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip pictured in 1971, right)
Together It details he late Queen attempting to ‘bind the nation together’
Media storm: The trailer also shows the aftermathof Diana;s shock interview, with the royal family attempting to deal with the intense news coverage
It was announced last year that Elizabeth would take over from Emma Corrin and play Diana for the fifth and sixth series, which will cover Diana’s death in 1997.
The actress said of her casting last year: ‘Princess Diana’s spirit, her words and her actions live in the hearts of so many. It is my privilege and honour to be joining this masterful series, which has had me absolutely hooked from episode one.’
The final two series of The Crown will cover the Royal Family’s history throughout the 1990s and into 2003, however it is not yet know which moments will be seen.
Discipline: The Queen can be seen telling Charles that he has ‘a duty’, while discussing the disgraced divorce
Disgraced: A stern Camilla and Charles can be seen discussing their marriage with the queen, who blames them for rocking the stability of the country
The trailer comes as The Crown has been criticised for still going ahead with the controversial series – which will discuss King Charles’ love affair with the Queen Consort – after the death of Queen Elizabeth on September 8.
The hit show’s creator Peter Morgan has hit back at critics who have accused the Netflix series of ‘exploiting’ the Royal Family.
The award-winning British screenwriter, 59, has come out in defence of his show, which will dramatise the breakdown of King Charles and Diana’s marriage and the late royal’s tragic death in 1997.
Last month, a friend of the King’s told the Daily Telegraph that the series was ‘exploitative’ and claimed Netflix has ‘no qualms about mangling people’s reputations.’
Dame Judi Dench, pictured, has accused the producers of Netflix’s The Crown of being ‘cruelly unjust’ to the Royal Family. She called on the producers to include a disclaimer at the start of each episode making it clear that certain scenes had been fictionalised
It comes after Dame Judi, 87, who has played Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, said the Netflix series risked damaging the monarchy.
The Oscar-winning actress blamed it for ‘crude sensationalism’ and blurring fact and fiction in a dramatic intervention in the row over the show’s rewriting of history.
In a letter to The Times newspaper, she called on Netflix to display a disclaimer at the start of each episode to say it is ‘fictionalised drama’.
She said it would also show respect for the bereavement suffered by the Royal Family and the nation, she said.
Dame Judi, who was made a Companion of Honour in 2005 and is pictured, right, as Queen Victoria in the film Victoria and Abdul, said she was stung by reports that the latest series would include scenes of Prince Charles lobbying to force his mother’s abdication.
She fears it will give an ‘inaccurate and hurtful account of history’.
She wrote: ‘The closer the drama comes to our present times, the more freely it seems willing to blur the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism.’
Pivotal moments from The Crown so far…
King Edward VIII abdicates the throne for love
Edward fell in love with Wallis Simpson, a married woman, and planned to marry her after his coronation when her divorce had come through.
However they were denied the opportunity to marry and due to divorce being forbidden for the Royals and decided to move to France together.
Edward later returned to England to face his family for the funeral of George VI following his death and went on to form a close bond with Prince Charles.
Bigger picture: King Edward VIII abdicates the throne for love
Princess Margaret is also denied her happy ending
Princess Margaret, who is painted as the Royal rebel throughout the first and second seasons, hoped to step outside tradition and marry divorcee Peter Townsend.
However growing public chatter over the illicit relationship begins to overshadow Elizabeth’s post coronation fame.
Margaret makes her intentions to marry Peter clear to Queen Elizabeth II and she asks her to wait until she is 25 to tie the knot with her love.
However when her 25th birthday does roll around the Queen has to go back on her word due to pressure from the Crown, and tells Margaret that she cannot grant her permission to marry Peter.
Devastated: Princess Margaret is denied her happy ending with Peter Townsend
Winston Churchill’s rise and fall
The first and second seasons depicted the Queen’s relationship with the Prime Minister of the time, Winston Churchill.
Following his successful leadership during the Second World War, Winston rises to power again for a second time during Elizabeth’s reign.
The Crown follows Winston’s journey as he adjusts to answering to a woman in power and his deteriorating health.
Royal marriage is rocked Elizabeth’s new role
The power struggle in the relationship is clear to see as Elizabeth’s role as the Queen takes priority over her marriage, while Prince Philip isn’t used to taking a backseat.
The Crown also hints at infidelity in their relationship as Elizabeth finds a picture of Russian ballerina Galina Ulanova among his possessions, before sending him off on a five-month tour on the Royal yacht.
The tension comes to a head during the premiere for season two when the Royal couple argue on board the HMY Britannia as they strive to find a resolution to their problems, due to divorce not being an option for a monarch.
Trouble in paradise: Royal marriage is rocked Elizabeth’s new role
Elizabeth’s journey to accepting the Crown
The start of the series shows a more wary and shy Elizabeth, compared to the formidable monarch she has grown into.
One of the key moments in the first series is her journey to accepting the Crown, after having to reconfigure all of the relationships in her life.
The series shows the Queen growing in confidence as she finds herself on a path of self-discovery.
The Queen visits Aberfan
Aberfan: After reflecting on her decision, she eventually visited alongside her husband and it is claimed her delayed response remains one of her greatest regrets
Episode three of the third season focuses on the Aberfan disaster which killed 144 people, including 116 childrne, after a colliery spoil tip collapsed over a school in a Welsh village.
The Queen did not immediately visit the disaster site, citing that she did not want to distract away from the tragedy with her presence.
However after reflecting on her decision, she eventually visited alongside her husband and it is claimed her delayed response remains one of her greatest regrets.
The Royal Family documentary
Inside the life: In a bid to give the public a better understanding of the Royal family they let a camera crew into their lives for 18 months
In a bid to give the public a better understanding of the Royal family they let a camera crew into their lives for 18 months.
The Crown depicts the whole thing as a disaster with the family reportedly banning the programme from ever being aired again.
However in actuality, the documentary was well-received and had sky high viewing figures.
Prince Charles valuable time in Wales
Touching: Prince Charles valuable time in Wales
After receiving backlash for the title ‘Prince of Wales’, despite not being a citizen or speaking the language, Prince Charles was sent to Aberystwyth University to learn the language.
Charles, who was 20 at the time, finished the trip with an elaborate investiture to pledge his allegiance to the Queen in Welsh.
However he asked to tweak the speech to add in his own voice, promising the Welsh residents that they wouldn’t be forgotten by England again.
Princess Margaret wows at the White House
She impressed! After being sent on a Royal tour of the U.S. in place of her sister, Margaret was invited to dinner at the White House by President Lyndon B. Johnson
After being sent on a Royal tour of the U.S. in place of her sister, Margaret was invited to dinner at the White House by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
The whole night appeared a huge success thanks to Margaret’s quick-wit and charm, with President Johnson seemingly lapping it up.
However across the pond Margaret’s success appeared to worry the Queen as she seemed concerned she was being outshone by her sibling.
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