The Crown final season sees Prince William blaming Charles for the death of Diana

The Netflix show's final episodes are out now.

The Crown S6 P2 (Netflix)
The Crown Season 6 part 2 features a surprising scene in which Prince William blames his father for his mother's death. (Netflix)

What did you miss?

The Crown depicts Prince William blaming his father King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, for the death of his mother Princess Diana in 1997.

Part 2 of the Netflix show's final season features a scene in which Prince William (Ed McVey) has a blazing row with his father (Dominic West), criticising him for not talking about Diana enough and accusing him of being the reason why she was in Paris where she was involved in a fatal car crash.

Princess Diana died on 31 August, 1997 after her car crashed at the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, the incident led to the deaths of her companion Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul, who had been above the legal drinking limit and was driving at high speed because they were being chased by paparazzi.

The scene of the argument between Prince William and Prince Charles sees the former suggest that his father had a "part in it" because of the way in which he had treated his mother during their marriage.


What, how and why?

The Crown S6 P2 (Netflix)
The Crown's new season focuses on Prince William and his inner struggles with his mother's death, and as the first born son. (Netflix)

The scene sees Prince William say to his father: "Don't you think there might be a connection between where we all are now and your part in it?" a question that leaves Prince Charles balking, and telling his son that he hopes he isn't "insinuating what I think you are."

Prince Charles then reiterates that the car crash involving Princess Diana was a tragic accident, to which his son responds by saying "the fact she was in Paris with that man... without police protection" was a result of his father's actions.

He said: "She should have been safe with us and the fact that she was there is your fault, and no you didn't drive the car but you drove her into the arms of those that did by making her so unhappy, by loving someone else."

Ed McVey as Prince William, Dominic West as Prince Charles, and Luther Ford as Prince Harry in The Crown. (Netflix)
The Crown depicts the father and son eventually reconciling their differences after Prince Phillip has a heart-to-heart with his grandson. (Netflix)

The other person Prince William is referring to in the scene is Camilla Parker-Bowles, who later went on to marry Charles in 2005 and who is now Queen Consort following her husband's ascendancy to the throne in September 2022.

Despite the row depicted, The Crown goes on to see Prince William make amends with his father after having a heart-to-heart with his grandfather Prince Phillip (Jonathan Pryce), who reflects on the issues that the father and son have been having and suggests he should think of how his father feels and the guilt he has likely "levelled at himself a hundred times".

Imelda Staunton, who portrays Queen Elizabeth II in the series, spoke with Yahoo UK about the show's depiction of Prince Charles and Prince William's frayed relationship.

Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II and Jonathan Pryce as Prince Phillip. Credit: Justin Downing
Imelda Staunton (left) spoke to Yahoo UK about the scene, saying show creator Peter Morgan is 'imagining what goes on behind closed doors but that's an investigation worth listening to'. (Netflix)

"The great thing about Peter [Morgan]'s writing is that he's done The Crown to examine the human relationships and the human condition in an institution. They are a family, you say they're like any other, there's dysfunction in the family and yet they have to put on a face, they have to carry on.

"And investigating husband-wife relationships, father-son, it's all there in Peter's writing, and that's why every actor wants to be in it because you want to tell those stories. Of course, as we say, it's a drama, and he's imagining what goes on behind closed doors.

"But that's an investigation worth listening to because it just gives people a glimpse of what might have happened, or makes you think about your own relationship, fathers and sons even in a palace have difficulties. So that's the great thing about his writing."


What else happened on The Crown?

The Crown S6 P2 (Netflix)
The Crown season 6 part 2 also doesn't shy away from the conspiracy theories claiming the Royal family having a role in Princess Diana's death. (Netflix)

The Crown also addressed the conspiracy theories around the Royal family's role in Princess Diana's death, something that Dodi Fayed's father Mohamed brought to the public by accusing them of murdering her and his son.

Watch Imelda Staunton discuss The Crown's approach to conspiracy theories:

It is approached in a matter of fact way, with Mohamed making his accusations during an interview and these claims later being investigated by police. The investigation resulted in police dismissing the claims as false, and ruling the car crash an accident.

Staunton reflected on the way in which the series examines this taboo subject, saying of Morgan's approach: "He investigated what was in [the public eye], that was already out there in the world about the conspiracy and so he just showed it again.

"But then you're looking at the Royal family's attitude to that, as far as they were concerned it was ridiculous. But it's very good to put a window on that, he didn't airbrush that out."

The Crown's final season is out now in full on Netflix.


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Watch the trailer for The Crown season 6 part 2: