A war zone charity backed by Princess Diana was rejected in the latest series of The Crown.
In one of the last and most important acts of her life, the princess was seen walking through a minefield in Angola to promote the vital work of the Halo Trust.
Now the British organization has been ditched by Netflix in a recreation of the visit – replacing its name with a New Zealand-based group.
Pictures released last week showed actress Elizabeth Debicki, who plays Diana in season six of the royal drama, reenacting the Princess of Wales’ walk across a minefield cleared by the Trust in 1997.
Debicki is seen wearing an exact replica of Diana’s outfit, which closely mimics her large gold earrings, blown-out hairdo and white shirt.
In one of the last and most important acts of her life, the princess was seen walking through a minefield in Angola (pictured) to promote the vital work of the Halo Trust
Elizabeth Debicki is seen wearing an exact replica of Diana’s outfit (pictured), meticulously mimicking her chunky gold earrings, blown-out hairdo and white shirt
But The Crown’s creators changed one key detail: replacing the Halo Trust-branded protective vest with a charity badge called ‘ReliefAid’.
Staff at the Halo Trust, which clears deadly landmines left in conflict zones, were thought to be confused by this.
“We were not asked or consulted about the venue.” “Obviously, we would have been delighted if our logo was on the PPE, which is indeed what happened,” said a spokesperson for the charity.
They added: “Princess Diana’s advocacy helped push the 1997 ban on landmines over the line and is an incredibly powerful legacy.”
Insiders at the Halo Trust thought it was a “shame” that Netflix bosses decided not to include them, as the series could have promoted The Crown charity to a global audience of 73 million viewers.
The Trust relies on donations for its life-saving work on six continents to clear mines and explosives.
Mail readers donated £2.1 million to The Halo Trust through the Mail Force campaign following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which helped fund its work to clear minefields in regions previously surrounded by Kremlin forces.
The Crown has also caused confusion 11,000 miles away in New Zealand, home to a real humanitarian organization called ReliefAid that provides emergency aid to conflict zones.
“Netflix has not contacted us and ReliefAid has not agreed to Netflix using our name,” said Anne Bulley, ReliefAid’s director of communications.
Now the British organization has been ditched by Netflix in its recreation of the visit – replacing its name with a New Zealand-based group
She added: “We were founded in 2015, we’ve never worked in Angola and we don’t do mine clearance.
“Perhaps Netflix would like to make a donation to The Halo Trust and ReliefAid to recognize their misrepresentation of both our organizations and the vital work we do to help victims of conflict.”
“I doubt the use of the name is a coincidence as as far as I know we are the only registered charity using the name ReliefAid.”
The final series, which airs from next month, will explore the events surrounding Diana’s tragic death in Paris in 1997, culminating in the royal wedding of Charles and Camilla.
The controversial series has already hit the headlines with news that Princess Diana will appear as a ghost for an emotional reconciliation with grieving Prince Charles.
Royal insiders have suggested the latest installment is likely to be seen as distasteful, particularly as “deeply painful memories for family members have been sensationalised”.
A Netflix spokesman declined to comment.