The fourth season of "The Crown" focuses on the relationship between Charles and Diana. What is true about it and what is invented?
The fourth season of the Netflix series "The Crown" came out on November 15th – and there had never been so much discussion about the TV show before. Peter Morgan (57), the creator of the series, has since defended his work. Princess Diana (Emma Corrin) appears for the first time in the new episodes, which are based on real events as before, but are not entirely factual. The love triangle between Prince Charles (Josh O'Connor), Camilla (Emerald Fennell) and Diana is the focus of the season. But what is true about it and what did the series creators invent?
Was there the letter from Louis Mountbatten?
Among other things, Louis Mountbatten (Charles Dance) confronts Prince Charles in the series with the fact that he continues to meet with Camilla, who was married to Andrew Parker Bowles at the time. Mountbatten sends a letter to the heir to the throne expressing his disappointment. Charles receives his "surrogate father" s letter after learning that Mountbatten was murdered by the IRA. There is no evidence that this letter really existed. Morgan stated on a podcast for "The Crown," according to CNN, that he "invented" the scene believing that this fictional representation would be consistent with Mountbatten's views. He made it up, "whether right or wrong," says the author. What is known is that Mountbatten really did take Charles aside at that point to tell him it was time for him to get married and provide for an heir to the throne.
Critics of the series also criticized further untruths in the new season. Above all, Prince Charles gets off badly, they say. And the heir to the throne himself should be "not amused". At least that is what the "Mail on Sunday" claims, citing "Palastinsider". Charles is portrayed as a callous and self-centered man who marries the innocent Diana, is jealous of her popularity and continues his affair with the then married Camilla Parker-Bowles. "The public shouldn't be fooled," insiders said, that this is not an accurate representation of "what really happened" … In the new episodes there are more details about the relationship between Charles and Diana that sparked debate .
Did Camilla want to befriend Diana?
In the fourth season of "The Crown", after the engagement of Charles and Diana, Camilla sends flowers to Diana's apartment and invites them to dinner. In fact, the two women are said to have known each other well. Camilla stayed near the Prince of Wales. Diana and Charles are said to have spent entire weekends with Camilla and her husband Andrew Parker Bowles. And according to media reports, the joint meal should really have taken place.
Did Diana find out from a piece of jewelry that Charles and Camilla are having an affair?
There was actually speculation about that too. Interviews conducted by biographer Andrew Morton (67) with Diana are said to show that Diana found a bracelet with the initials G and F in the office of one of Charles's employees. The letters are said to stand for Gladys and Fred, and Camilla and Charles' nicknames for each other. According to "historyextra.com", other royal experts are certain that the heir to the throne sent similar pieces of jewelry to several women he was close to to thank them.
Has Princess Margaret really spoken out against Charles and Diana's marriage?
That should be made up. On the series, Princess Margaret objects to an apparently unhappy marriage between her nephew and Diana. That should have been the idea of Margaret actress Helena Bonham Carter.
Did Diana roller-skate Buckingham Palace?
It's not confirmed, but the producers of "The Crown" are certain that Diana did indeed roller-skate around the palace. And Emma Corrin, who plays Diana, also believes it's true. "I think she did that," the actress told Sky News. That was Diana's kind of fun before she became a royal, and that's what she kept.
Did Diana have an eating disorder like on the show?
Yes. Princess Diana confirmed in her famous 1995 BBC interview that she suffered from bulimia. She called the eating disorder her "secret illness" with which she had to deal for years. "It was a symptom of what was going on in my marriage. I yelled for help, but gave the wrong signals (…)." The cause was the situation, Charles and she had to hold everything together "because we didn't want to disappoint the public, and yet there was obviously a lot of fear in our four walls".
Did Diana really dance to "Uptown Girl" at the London Opera House?
Yes, Diana danced on stage one evening to "Uptown Girl". In December 1985 after she had secretly rehearsed with the ballet star Wayne Sleep (72). She surprised her husband with the performance. It is not known whether Prince Charles was as embarrassed in real life as he was in the series. Allegedly, he should not have been particularly happy. It is also unclear whether Diana later produced a video of herself on which she sang something from "The Phantom of the Opera" to give it to Charles.
Was Diana allowed to choose her engagement ring?
Yes. After the engagement, Diana was presented with a selection of jewels. In Andrew Morton's book Diana: Her True Story – In Her Own Words, it is said that a story was even invented explaining the arrival of the gemstones in the palace so that their engagement would remain under lock and key. In the end she chose the stone that was right for her, which the Queen paid for.