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The priest who gave Princess Diana the last rites has furiously condemned the makers of The Crown for “hurting” Prince William and Prince Harry by depicting the scene of their mother’s fatal accident.
Father Yves-Marie Clochard-Bossuet spoke exclusively to The Mail on Sunday and ripped into Netflix to recreate the tragic accident.
His powerful rant has plunged Netflix into another crisis over the hugely controversial royal saga.
Last night, politicians and authors reiterated his condemnation, saying that the crash scenes – filmed for the sixth season to air next year – should never be shown.
The priest who gave Princess Diana the last rites has furiously condemned the makers of The Crown for “hurting” Prince William and Prince Harry by depicting the scene of their mother’s fatal accident. Pictured: Elizabeth Debicki recreates Princess Diana’s tragic last day
Father Yves-Marie Clochard-Bossuet (pictured), who was hospitalized with Diana, ripped into Netflix to recreate the tragic accident. He said, ‘It’s rude, and it’s certainly not necessary. Netflix is getting voyeuristic
In eerie scenes last week in Paris, The Crown’s production team filmed exactly where Diana, who is played by Elizabeth Debicki in the drama, was left with fatal injuries.
The French priest who was in the hospital with her as she lay dying said: ‘It’s rude, and it’s certainly not necessary. Netflix is getting voyeuristic.
“Their filming is commercially driven and they just want to attract as many viewers as possible.
It comes after repeated calls – led by this paper – to give the drama a disclaimer that it is a work of fiction. Pictured: The Crown filmmakers make the horrific accident under the Pont de l’Alma. again
‘There is no need to recreate the events of that night. This is because Diana has children, she has a brother and sisters and it affects the feelings of her entire family. They will all be injured by the reconstruction of this accident.
“We all know the facts of what happened – it’s all very clear, so there’s no need to create new images of this horrific event.”
It comes after repeated calls – led by this paper – to give the drama a disclaimer that it is a work of fiction.
Last night, politicians and authors reiterated his condemnation, saying that the crash scenes – filmed for the sixth season to air next year – should never be shown. Pictured: Elizabeth Debicki portraying Princess Diana in her last official public appearance before her death in 1997
And last week, The Mail on Sunday revealed the macabre staging of Diana’s funeral by The Crown, which those close to the royal family described as “rough, cruel and totally insensitive.”
The 200-strong Crown film crew in Paris reconstructed the princess’ last journey in a Mercedes limousine before it crashed into the Alma tunnel in August 1997.
Diana’s friend Dodi Fayed, 42, and the driver, Henri Paul, 41, were killed instantly, while British bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, 29, was seriously injured but survived.
One of the most controversial scenes is the reenactments of Diana’s funeral and the 1992 fire that swept through Windsor Castle. Pictured: Debicki as the Princess of Wales
An ambulance rushed Diana to the hospital in Pitié Salpêtrière, where Father Yves-Marie was the Christian cleric on duty. He prayed about her body for ten hours before attending a grim meeting with Prince Charles, senior French and British officials.
Father Yves-Marie said, “When I was alone in the room with her, the first thing that came to my mind was her two children.
“These two young children to whom we would report the tragic death of their mother.
The final season of The Crown “would have destroyed the Queen” because of how “cruel” the dramatized storylines are, one of her close friends has revealed. Pictured: Imelda Staunton plays Elizabeth II in the fifth series
“At the time, the only two things I really knew about Diana were that she had two young sons and that she was divorced. These were the two things that really moved me.’
After the tragedy, he formed a close friendship with Diana’s mother, Frances Shand Kydd, who converted to Catholicism.
Netflix paid Ville de Paris – the municipality of Paris – to close the Alma tunnel and surrounding streets for three nights until Friday morning. The crew placed cameras in front of the pillar the Mercedes collided with.
The family pictured at Diana’s funeral in 1997. The Netflix scene featuring grief-stricken William and Harry – then 15 and 12 years old – was secretly filmed on a disused RAF base and will be serialized next year six are broadcast
In reality, the paparazzi were some distance behind Diana’s limousine, but the Netflix reconstruction showed them on motorcycles around it, lenses turned inward.
Dad Yves-Marie wasn’t asked to help Netflix, but is said to have “definitely said no.” He said: ‘What touched me most personally about this tragedy is the friendship Diana’s mother showed me. I now regularly say mass for Diana and her mother.’
Former Cabinet Secretary David Mellor said: ‘These scenes should never be broadcast. It’s grotesquely bad taste to do this of which they should be ashamed.’
Royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith said, “These scenes belong on the cutting room floor.”
Netflix said last night, “The Crown Season 6 will cover the lead-up and aftermath, but the crash won’t show.”