‘The Crown’ Producers Say They Filmed Princess Diana’s Death With “Enormous” Sensitivity: “The Show Might Be Big & Noisy, But We’re Not” – Edinburgh TV Festival
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The producers of The Crown say they have filmed the death of Princess Diana with “enormous sensitivity” as they brace for what could be the most controversial moment in the show’s history.
Speaking during an Edinburgh TV Festival session celebrating The Crown, executive producers Andy Harries and Suzanne Mackie were at pains to point out how thoughtful Left Bank Pictures and Netflix have been about capturing Diana’s fatal accident in Paris in 1997.
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The death will feature in the early episodes of the final season of The Crown, which is expected to premiere later this year. The scenes were shot over a two-week period last October, with Deadline reporting that there was anxiety behind the scenes.
“The show might be big and noisy, but we’re not. We’re thoughtful people and we’re sensitive people. There were very careful, long conversations about how we were going to do it,” Mackie said.
“The audience will judge it in the end, but I think it’s been delicately, thoughtfully recreated. Elizabeth Debicki is an extraordinary actress and she was so thoughtful and considerate. She loved Diana. There’s a huge amount of respect from us all, I hope that’s evident.”
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There was a flurry of press interest in the filming of the episode, with Princes Wiliam and Harry having both previously recalled the trauma of that period in their lives. Prince Harry has admitted to watching The Crown.
Queen Elizabeth II died during the making of Season 6 and Harries argued that the final episode of the lavish royal drama is “one of the best shows I’ve ever done.” Stephen Daldry is directing the finale having not helmed an episode since Season 2 in 2017.
“The passing of Her Majesty impacted on us all… It didn’t change [the story] fundamentally, but it did change it in a sense. When you see it, I think you will know what I mean,” Harries added. “It’s a very powerful film and a very respectful episode.”
Mackie said it was a “love letter” to the Queen from writer Peter Morgan.
Mackie, who exited Left Bank to establish Orchid Pictures in 2020, said that she has “very mixed emotions” about The Crown ending. “It’s a huge part of my career and my life and I’m deeply proud of it. So suddenly it’s ending and one feels untethered by that.”
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