Princess Diana’s brother Charles Spencer has shared a poignant snap of the royals online – days before the release of The Crown’s latest controversial series.
The Earl of Spencer, younger brother of the late Princess of Wales, inherited the family estate of Althorp in Northamptonshire on his father’s death in 1992 and lives there with his third wife Karen and their daughter Lady Charlotte.
Days ago, he shared a snap from 1989 posing alongside his sister and her father at an event to mark his 65th birthday, calling it a “deeply poignant photo.”
His post came as Princess Diana’s friends slammed Netflix’s “insensitivity” after crews from The Crown were spotted filming the moments before her fatal car crash – just 100 meters from the Paris tunnel where she died 25 years ago .
Princess Diana’s brother Charles Spencer shared a poignant snap of royalty online days before the release of The Crown’s latest controversial series
Writing the post online, he commented: “Today is All Souls’ Day – if it is customary to remember the souls of those you love who have passed: it is known in some parts of the world as the Day of the Dead.
“A deeply moving photo for me from the summer of 1989 at a party in Althorp for my father’s 65th birthday earlier that year.”
In no time at all, Charles is seen alongside his father and the Princess of Wales.
The fifth season of The Crown, which will cover the years leading up to Princess Diana’s 1995 Panorama interview, has already sparked anger ahead of its November 9 release.
The fifth season of The Crown, which will cover the years leading up to Princess Diana’s 1995 Panorama interview, has already sparked anger ahead of its November 9 release
Acting Royal Lady Judi Dench, who is close to King Charles and Camilla, accused the program of being “raw and hurtful”.
Dame Judi, 87, who has played Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, told the Times the series risks damaging the monarchy. The Oscar winner accused him of “raw sensationalism” and blurring fact and fiction.
Former Prime Minister Sir John Major has slammed a scene showing him talking to then-Prince Charles about the possibility of the Queen’s abdication as “malicious nonsense”.
Amid growing controversy over how The Crown blurs reality and fiction, Netflix recently updated its description of the series to add a disclaimer to its trailer on YouTube stating that it’s a “fictional dramatization.”
Charles previously said he had concerns that viewers of the series – particularly US audiences – would not appreciate the “fiction and conjecture” used in the show (pictured Charles, Diana and Charles).
The drama’s previous fourth series was criticized for not doing enough to tell viewers it was fiction.
The Crown has a new cast for series five and six, with Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki as Diana and Dominic West as Charles.
The sixth series, currently filming, will follow Diana’s death in 1997 and reportedly conclude with Charles and Camilla’s wedding in 2005.
Viewers last week were seen Netflix crews filming between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. about 100 meters from the Alma Tunnel, where Diana died in the early hours of August 31, 1997.
The images show a black Mercedes, like the one the couple were traveling in on that tragic day, filmed in another nearby tunnel on the same road.
Elizabeth Debicki wears sunglasses and looks like Diana as she sits with Khalid Abdalla, 40, who plays Dodi Fayed, in the back seat of a car the princess was traveling in when the car crashed in Paris
Netflix has insisted the “exact moment” of the crash will not feature in the controversial drama, which has recently come under fire for sensationalism and inaccuracy
Netflix has insisted the “exact moment” of the crash will not feature in the controversial drama, which has recently come under fire for sensationalism and inaccuracy.
A friend of Diana’s said the show’s creators could face accusations of “insensitivity” because of the shooting in Paris. Debbie Frank, Diana’s astrologer, said it would be “terrible” for Princes William and Harry to see a re-creation of the moments leading up to their mother’s death.
“Obviously it’s awful for Diana’s kids to have to see that again. It’s insensitive,’ she said.
She added: “I feel Diana’s death and crash was the biggest shock to our generation. It had such a huge impact on the national psyche.
“I guess the creators of The Crown believe they are entitled to show a re-enactment of the scenes leading up to her death and that it has dramatic implications. But relatives would think differently.’
The Crown was a smash hit for Netflix. Each episode now costs around £11.5million.
The Crown was a smash hit for Netflix. Each episode now costs around £11.5million (pictured Diana in the new series).
Charles previously said he had concerns that viewers of the series — particularly US audiences — would not appreciate the “invention and conjecture” used in the show.
Charles, who appeared as a guest on Love Your Weekend on Sunday with Alan Titchmarsh in 2020, said: “I worry that people will watch a program like this and forget it’s fiction.
“They assume, especially foreigners, I find Americans tell me they’ve seen The Crown like they’ve taken a history lesson. Well they haven’t.
“It’s very difficult, there’s a lot of conjecture and a lot of invention, isn’t there? You can base it on facts, but the bits in between aren’t facts.’
Spencer also reveals during his appearance on the show that he turned down a request from the show’s producers to film at Althorp, his family’s manor.
“The Crown asked if they could film in Althorp and I obviously said no.”
Diana’s brother sees it as his duty to protect his sister’s legacy, who died in a car accident in 1997.
He said: “I feel it is my duty to stand up for them when I can. For example she left me as guardian of her sons etc so I feel like a trust has been passed on.
“And we grew up together, you know, if you grow up with someone, they’re still that person, it doesn’t matter what happens to them later. So yes, I feel very passionate about having a role to honor her memory.