Viewers have been watching The Crown for scenes where the ghost of Princess Diana talks to King Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth.
Part one of the sixth series of the Netflix hit was released, with the emotional four episodes focusing on the late royal’s last few days before her death.
While many were in tears at the way the program depicted Princes William and Harry’s grief – particularly the last phone call they shared with their mother – the audience was largely baffled by the imaginary conversations her disembodied mind had with other members of the royal family.
The first instance, in episode four, takes place when the then Prince of Wales, played by Dominic West, flies to Paris to collect Diana’s body.
On the flight home, Charles is greeted by Diana’s ‘ghost’ – Elizabeth Debicki – who says: ‘Thank you for being in the hospital. So raw, broken – and beautiful. I’ll take that with me.’
Viewers have visited the Crown for scenes where the ghost of Princess Diana talks to King Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth
But her ex-husband admits he has felt “regret” since her death, which she says “will pass.”
Later, she reappears after the queen disagrees about the extent to which the royal family should show their grief for the deceased princess.
Diana’s ghost appears and takes the Queen’s hand. The monarch tells Diana that she has started ‘a revolution’.
She replies, “It didn’t have to be that way. By making an enemy of me – not of me personally – but of what I stand for, it’s starting to look like that.’
The ghost then encourages the queen to show the audience that she is “willing to learn.”
Many on X – formerly known as Twitter – found the moments ‘ridiculous’.
“When I was watching The Crown and Ghost Diana appeared on the plane with Charles, I was getting serious Jurassic Park 3 vibes,” one person said.
“I think this show has officially lost the plot.”
The first instance, in episode four, occurs when the then Prince of Wales, played by Dominic West, flies to Paris to collect Diana’s body.
The audience was largely baffled by the imaginary conversations her non-corporeal spirit was having with other royals.
Another called it “clunky” and claimed it “takes you out of the episode.”
“They actually let ghost Diana save the monarchy,” a third joked. “I’m screaming.”
“First we got Diana on the plane,” the poster later added. ‘Now they have ghost Diana who says it will be easier when I’m gone!! This season is wild.”
Another commented: ‘I understand they tell a story but we didn’t need ghost Diana and Dodi.’
Some also felt the princess’s “forgiving” of Charles was unnecessary, saying they “did Diana dirty.”
However, many were also quick to defend their choice.
“Diana’s ‘ghost’ represents the conversation you have in your head with someone who has just passed away,” one person added. ‘The sadness, the regret, the last parting word that you didn’t get.’
However, many were also quick to defend their choice, saying it was never meant to be a ghost
‘IT’S NOT DIANA’S GHOST’, another hit. “IT’S A FICTIONAL CONVERSATION IN THE CHARACTER’S HEAD WITH HER, Y’all are stupid.”
The emotional first four episodes cover the tragic car crash in Paris that killed Princess Diana in August 1997 – along with her lover Dodi and their driver Henri Paul – and the royal family’s reaction to it, as well as the summer holiday where Diana and Dodi enjoyed it. in St Tropez prior to the tragedy.
The Paris scenes were shot in the French capital, while a yacht was rented for the St. Tropez scenes, although they were actually shot in Mallorca.
For sensitivity reasons, the exact moment of Diana’s death is not recreated, but there are controversial scenes in which Charles tenderly talks to an imaginary Diana in the cabin of the royal plane as he accompanies her body from Paris to London, and later when she also appears to the Queen.
Critics who have seen these scenes have called them “farcical” for depicting Diana as a ghost, but series creator Peter Morgan has insisted this was not the intention.
“I never imagined it would be Diana’s ghost in the traditional sense of the word,” he said Variety magazine. “It was she who continued to live vividly in the minds of those she left behind.”
The Crown was created by Morgan after the success of his 2006 film about the royal family’s response to Diana’s death, The Queen.
And the series – which has earned 21 Emmys and dozens of BAFTA nominations, not to mention some criticism for its historical inaccuracies – covers the same ground, but uses new information gathered in the 17 years since the Oscar-winning movie was made.
In fact, the scripts had to be constantly updated as the Royal Family was in the news throughout the filming period, not only after the Queen’s death, but also after the publication of Prince Harry’s memoir Spare.