A French priest who gave Diana, Princess of Wales, the last rites before her death has harshly criticised The Crown for filming in the exact spot of the late princess’ fatal car crash in Paris.
Father Yves-Marie Clochard-Bossuet condemned Netflix as being “voyeuristic” and “crass” by choosing to film in the Alma Tunnel where Diana, her boyfriend Dodi Fayed, and her driver Henri Paul died.
He told The Mail on Sunday that there was “no need” to recreate the tragic accident and doing so will “hurt” the feelings of Diana’s family, including her children Princes William and Harry.
“[Netflix’s] filming is commercially driven, and they are simply interested in attracting as many viewers as possible,” he said.
“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 hurt by the reconstruction of this accident.
“We all know the facts of what happened – it is all very clear, so there is no need to produce new images of this terrible event.”
Father Yves-Marie criticism comes after TMZ reported that production crew from The Crown were spotted shooting around the Alma Tunnel last Thursday (27 October).
According to the site, the crew were filming the route Diana took while being chased by paparazzi through Paris. However, TMZ quoted sources close to Netflix as saying the actual crash was not recreated at the scene.
The crash took place on 31 August 1997. The only survivor was Diana’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, who was seriously injured but made a recovery.
Diana, who was 36 at the time, was rushed to Pitie Salpetriere hospital but was pronounced dead several hours later.
Recalling the moment he gave the last rites, Father Yves-Marie said the “first thing that came to my mind were her two children”.
“At the time, the only two things I really knew about Diana was that she had two young sons, and that she was divorced. These were the two things that really moved me.”
William and Harry were 15 and 12 years old at the time of their mother’s death.
The forthcoming fifth season of The Crown, which will be released on 9 November, has been the subject of contention among members of the royal family, as well as politicians and celebrities.
It will focus on the breakdown of Diana and Charles’ marriage, including the controversial BBC Panorama interview between the princess and journalist Martin Bashir.
William is said to be strongly against the content of the new series, having previously said the Panorama interview should “never be aired again” in 2021.
According to The Telegraph, palace sources suggested that the Prince of Wales believes Netflix is “profiteering” from the interview and made his feelings about it “very clear”.
However, the Duke of Sussex said that there is some “truth” to the narrative presented by The Crown.
He told The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2021: “It gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle — what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else — what can come from that.”
