The Crown has been branded ‘disrespectful’ and ‘tacky’ online after the ‘ghost’ of Princess Diana was featured in the first trailer for the sixth and final series of the hit Netflix drama.
The teaser, released today, shows sensational conversations between Diana and the late Queen, watery-eyed King Charles and a ‘last’ phone call with William and his mother.
It has divided opinion on social media, with some demanding the hit series let the late Princess of Wales ‘rest in peace’.
“What nonsense this series has become,” one person wrote. ‘You should be ashamed.’ A second called the show ‘so stupid and disrespectful’.
“I’ve never seen this series and the ‘ghost of Diana’ certainly wouldn’t tempt me to start it now,” she added.
A new trailer has been released for the sixth and final series of Netflix’s The Crown. Pictured: Diana’s ‘ghost’ speaking to Imelda Staunton’s Queen
“The Crown had me until I heard about the ghost scenes,” wrote a third. “At least pretend you’re a docudrama and not a ghost story. She’s gone, let her rest in peace!!!’
One commenter said: ‘I’ll get some rest when this d*mn series is over!’ “No, I’m fine,” rejected another.
Elsewhere, a viewer commented: ‘They better make this final series more political about the big historical stories of the time (like in the earlier series) and not just another soap opera like the last one.’
However, many were also quick to praise Elizabeth Debicki’s performance as they expressed their excitement for part one of the series, which releases on November 16.
“Elizabeth Debicki really deserves credit for playing Diana,” said one YouTube commenter. “Emma Corrin was also killed as the younger Diana and now she carries the torch.”
A second gushed: ‘The way this trailer focused mainly on Princess Diana shows that she is the icon of the royal family that is absolutely timeless and will never be forgotten. I was born just after she died, but I missed her so much.’
Another said they are “grateful” that the series will “open the eyes of the coming generation to the reality of a woman who wanted nothing but love and acceptance.”
“Every second of this trailer sent a shiver down my spine,” they added. ‘I cried my eyes out at the end. Princess Diana will be in our hearts forever.”
Her Majesty, played by Imelda, appears somber during a scene shared in the teaser clip
Happy times: The trailer plays scenes of the princess singing during a car ride with a young Prince William (pictured together)
The teaser also shows Diana struggling to deal with media attention following the end of her marriage to Charles (Dominic West, pictured), the then Prince of Wales.
Backlash: The Crown is being branded ‘disrespectful’ and ‘tacky’ online after Princess Diana’s ‘ghost’ was featured in the first trailer for the sixth and final series of the hit Netflix drama
Netflix bosses are set to spark controversy with the first part of their latest series of the drama as the trailer reveals it will depict the royal family’s most intimate moments in the lead-up and aftermath of the crash that killed Diana in 1997 .
Elizabeth Debicki, 33, returns for her second season as the late Princess of Wales and is seen having a ‘last’ phone call with a 15-year-old William, played by Rufus Kampa, 17, before the fatal crash in Paris.
William asks Diana if she’s okay before she morbidly replies, “It’s all a bit crazy lately,” before there is a flash of light bulbs and the audience sees her get into the black Mercedes that takes her to her death would float.
The crash isn’t explicitly revealed in the cryptic trailer, but audiences can catch a glimpse of Diana clinging to Dodi Fayed’s hand in the back of the car.
A tight-lipped queen, played by Imelda Staunton, 67, sensationally declares to Diana: “You have finally managed to turn this house upside down. It is nothing short of a revolution, despite the fact that Her Late Majesty never revealed how she felt about her daughter-in-law.
Another scene shows Charles, played by Dominic West, on the phone after the princess’s death, grimly declaring the funeral: “This will be the biggest thing any of us have ever seen.”
The funeral, which was not shown in the trailer, was filmed at a disused RAF base five miles outside Bicester, Oxfordshire.
Scenes show Princes William and Harry walking alongside King Charles, the Duke of Edinburgh and Earl Spencer in the procession of mourners behind his mother’s coffin.
The first four episodes will focus on the young princes as teenagers in the summer of 1997, when they split their time between their mother, who is with the Fayeds aboard a yacht in the south of France, and their father in Balmoral.
Viewers will also see the Queen overwhelmed by the outpouring of grief following Diana’s death.
The shows will also feature Mohammed Al Fayed, who died earlier this year and is coping with the loss of his son while being shunned by the royal family as Prince Williams returns to Eton school, where he struggles with the death of his mother .
Fans will have to wait until December 14 for the final six episodes, which Netflix insiders say will be “more cheerful.”
The scenes show Prince William and Kate Middleton meeting at St. Andrews University and the final program shows King Charles and Queen Camilla (played by Olivia Williams) getting married in April 2005.
Today’s trailer, shared on social media by the streaming service, focuses on Diana and her tragic death following the fatal car crash in Paris in 1997.
Imelda’s character plays Queen Elizabeth II in the final season, telling Diana’s “ghost” that she has “finally managed to turn this house upside down.”
However, many were also quick to praise Elizabeth Debicki’s performance as they expressed their excitement for part one of the series, which drops on November 16.
Netflix recently released new images to promote the latest series of the hit drama, including a poster (above) showing the three actors who played Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown side by side
The trailer opens with Elizabeth Debicki’s Diana playing the piano as she explains in voiceover, “I don’t really understand how I got here.” Running around… and losing track of myself. I think that’s the story of my whole life.’
It also shows Diana struggling to deal with media attention following the end of her marriage to Charles (Dominic West), the then Prince of Wales.
As a royal adviser leafs through the front pages of the newspaper dominated by Diana, he says to the Queen: “I am afraid, Your Majesty, that interest in the Princess’s private life is unlikely to wane any time soon.”
To which Her Majesty responds, “All you want is for that girl to find peace,” as scenes play of the princess singing during a car ride with a young Prince William.
Her eldest son, played by Rufus Kampa during his teenage years, asks, ‘Mommy, are you okay?’. The princess replies, “I’m fine, it’s just… It’s all been a bit crazy lately.”
Diana is then filmed receiving roses from lover Dodi Fayed (Khalid Abdalla) alongside a note that reads: ‘Paris next week?’ before the clip jumps to the princess in a car surrounded by photographers.
The final moments of the trailer appear to look at the aftermath of Diana and Dodi’s deaths following a car crash in a Parisian tunnel in August 1997.
In the teaser, Dominic as Prince Charles can be heard saying that the Queen should ‘be the mother of the nation’, amid silence from Buckingham Palace.
He adds: ‘You’ve seen the images on television, Diana was giving what they needed to thousands of people around the world, and they loved her for it.’
The trailer ends with the line, “This is going to be the biggest thing any of us have ever seen.”