Who is Duncan Muir from The Crown, was he a real photographer and were Charles, William and Harry really photographed at Balmoral?

Following the release of season six part one of The Crown, some viewers are wondering who is Duncan Muir, the photographer who played a major role in the second episode, Two Photographs.

In the episode, Prince Charles decided to combat the news about Princess Diana and Dodi's romantic holiday on a yacht, with his own contrasting story. In the show, the Prince's aides organised a photo call with a trusted photographer and royal supporter, Duncan Muir. The aim of the shoot was to demonstrate how wholesome his life was with Prince William and Prince Harry and focus on changing the news story to compliment the Royal Family.

But how accurate was this story in the Netflix show, and was Duncan Muir even a real person? Here's what we know.

Diana: The People's Princess by Nicholas Owen | £17.35 at Amazon  

This book documents the life and legacy of Princess Diana. Celebrating her achievements, this powerful tribute to the late Princess of Wales also features beautiful photographs and has been updated to include reference to the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.View Deal

Who is Duncan Muir?

Duncan Muir is introduced as a sincere royalist who is the antithesis to Mario Brenna - the real-life photographer who reportedly earned $ 5 million for the intimate snaps of Diana and Dodi kissing on the yacht that was sold to The Sunday Mirror and other papers in 1997.

However, Duncan Muir appears to be an invented character by Netflix. There doesn't appear to be a real Scottish photographer with this name who worked closely with the Royal Family at this time. However, this character could be symbolic of the good working relationship that some royals have created with photographers over the years.

In May 2023, the Princess of Wales surprised fans as she recognized a photographer at an engagement and asked him how he was. In a short clip online the Princess had a brief interaction as she asked, "Morning, How are you?" Arthur Edwards, the photographer who has snapped the family for years responded, "Good thank you, and you?" To which Kate replied, "Good, good to see you."

Were Charles, William and Harry really photographed at Balmoral?

Photographs of Prince Charles, Prince Harry and Prince William at Balmoral Castle were released on August 16th 1997. This was less than a week after the Sunday Mirror published the first photograph of Diana and Dodi kissing on its front page with the headline, 'The Kiss.'

Credited with the images of the Prince and his two sons in the Scottish grounds are photographers such as; Tim Graham, and Julien Parker who attended the photocall. The story that it was a much more intimate affair with one trusted photographer was simply an invention by Netflix.

It's unclear why Prince Charles and the boys took part in this photo call. It could have been to keep photographers at bay while they were on their summer holidays, or it could have been for the more insidious reasons suggested in The Crown. However, there is a longstanding tradition with the press and the Royal Family that photo calls will be held in exchange for privacy.