The Crown’s Elizabeth Debicki recreated one of Princess Diana’s final voyages on Saturday as she filmed a glimpse of her lavish 1997 Mediterranean cruise with her sons and Dodi Al Fayed – just weeks before her tragic death.
The actress slipped into a colorful striped swimsuit to film scenes aboard the yacht Titania for the Netflix drama’s sixth season, with the boat acting as a stand-in for Fayed’s famous ship Jonikal, on which the princess previously sailed from the south of France to Sardinia She died in a car accident in Paris.
Elizabeth will make her debut as Princess Diana in the upcoming fifth season of The Crown, due out November 9, and the program has already sparked controversy with producers slammed for its “malicious storylines,” which now includes Diana’s -infamous 1995 interview on Panorama.
Spitting image: The Crown’s Elizabeth Debicki (left) recreated one of Princess Diana’s final voyages on Saturday as she filmed her Mediterranean cruise with her sons and Dodi Al Fayed (Diana is pictured directly on the July 1997 cruise).
For the scenes, Elizabeth created one of Diana’s most striking holiday looks, consisting of a purple and green striped swimsuit and matching sarong.
The actress was a dead ringer to the late king as she filmed the scenes with Rufus Kampa, who plays a young Prince William, and Will Powell, who plays Prince Harry, on a recreation of Fayed’s famously lavish liner.
She was joined by actors Khalid Abdalla, who plays Diana’s lover Dodi, and his tycoon father Mohammed Al-Fayed, with the pair appearing to share a playful moment during filming.
Coming soon: The actress slipped into a brightly colored striped swimsuit (left) to film scenes aboard the yacht Titania for the sixth season of the Netflix drama (Diana is pictured directly during her 1997 voyage).
Playful: Accompanying Elizabeth for the scenes were young actors Rufus Kampa, who plays a young Prince William, and Will Powell, who plays Prince Harry
Beaming: For much of the scenes, Elizabeth was in good spirits as she reenacted the sunny family outing
What a liner! Titania will serve as a replacement for Fayed’s yacht Jonikal in both seasons five and six of The Crown
At one point, Elizabeth seemed visibly upset between scenes and had to be comforted by other members of the show’s crew before resuming work on the series.
Titania will serve as a replacement for Fayed’s yacht Jonikal in both seasons five and six of The Crown.
In May 2020, Omar’s father’s yacht, which had hosted the royals and Dodi, was sold for £171,000, with some observers telling The Sunday Express the bid was surprisingly low, sparking fears that memories of Diana were “fading” would.
Former flame: During her short break in Europe, Diana was famously joined by her new flame, Dodi Al Fayed (left), who sadly died alongside her in a car accident in Paris in 1997 (Elizabeth is pictured at right filming with Khalid Abdalla, who plays Dodi ).
Is she okay? At one point, Elizabeth seemed visibly upset between scenes and had to be comforted by other members of the show’s crew before resuming work on the series
Moving: Elizabeth appeared to film an emotional scene with Dodi and his tycoon father, with the couple comforting her on board the liner
Royal author Margaret Holder, who authored Diana: The Caring Princess, a 1999 look at the life of the Princess of Wales, said she found it: “It is a shame that this historic boat has not received a higher bid as a remarkable souvenir of the last days of.” Diana’s life.’
The boat was used by Dodi as a venue for lavish parties in the south of France, mainly in St Tropez.
On Tuesday, it was reported that Netflix bosses were “startled” by the outrage some storylines in Season 5 have sparked – even before they air next month.
Netflix, which is spending £11.5million an episode on the show, which is one of their biggest global hits, is about to launch series five.
It will cover the years 1991 to 1997 and will include details of Diana’s 1995 Panorama interview.
King Charles, played by Dominic West, is the dominant character in the drama. He is shown lobbying Prime Minister John Major in a bizarre attempt to force his mother’s abdication.
It also features Charles bitterly arguing with Diana as their divorce looms and romances Camilla, now Queen Consort, including a dramatization of the infamous “Tampongate” phone call.
A production source said the media’s outrage at inaccuracies – and the lack of sensitivity in airing the series so close to the Queen’s death – “scares” the channel.
The source said: “The show was never about sensationalism, but there was always drama as well. For the first few years it seemed that everyone was happy to tolerate it.’
Created and written by Peter Morgan, The Crown has been a hit for Netflix since it was first released in 2016.
But the source said Morgan had become increasingly “uncomfortable” as The Crown’s series neared today.
They said: “The truth is that it was easier to write the earlier series because, firstly, there’s a wealth of historical documentation, plus a consensus of what happened, and you can be more dramatic and people don’t find it hurtful.
“Peter is always trying to track down the truth. There is always a lot of research to do.
“However, 50 years ago people are more relaxed about Princess Margaret than they were about John Major in 1991.
“Peter is very aware of that and it’s a struggle. He insisted on announcing that the fifth series would be the last, although Netflix declined to announce that. It didn’t want to kill the golden goose.
“Then a few months later he changed his mind and said he was writing the sixth series. But it will be. He will not go any further towards today. It’s already uncomfortable enough.”
The source added: “He’s quite traumatized by the criticism. He did nothing to be sensational. The show would be a different show if he was looking for the sensational.
“He wasn’t trying to tarnish the royal family’s reputation – I mean he accepted a CBE. I think we can all accept that this will not become an accolade.”
It can be revealed that the scripts of the fifth series were rewritten last year following revelations about Martin Bashir and how he manipulated Diana into doing the interview about a dirty trick campaign.
The original script would have featured actress Elizabeth Debicki – who plays the late princess – conducting the interview and speaking the words Diana said.
But all of that was taken out after revelations about Bashir’s deception uncovered in an inquiry led by Lord Dyson and released in May last year.
Instead, you see Bashir persuading her to talk, but the interview itself is not shown.
However, she is seen collaborating with Andrew Morton on the book Diana: Her True Story and informing tabloids. She has also been seen bombarding lover Hasnat Khan with phone calls.
Makers Left Bank Pictures is currently filming series six and will not be showing the car crash that killed Diana, although she will be starring with Dodi at the Ritz.