Netflix has resumed production for season six of acclaimed royal drama The Crown and sources say the platform recreated the death of Princess Diana over the weekend.
Following a hiatus due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September, filming is underway in Barcelona with the Catalan city’s Francesc Macia Square reported to play the French set for the devastating scene.
Local press reported this weekend that the show was to shoot the events leading up to Diana’s 1997 trip to Paris, where she would suddenly pass away in a car accident. On Saturday, the Sun reports that Catalan daily El Periodico said: “The scene filmed is the fatal car accident Lady Di suffered.”
Catalan online news website NacioDigital, who claim the temporary break led to a filming location change said: “The producers of the series wanted to carry out one of the most critical moments in the history of the British monarchy in the Jardinets de Gracia, the death of Diana in a traffic accident. This Friday and Saturday filming took place in Francesc Macia Square.”
As a Catalan broadcaster who was reporting closely from set, NacioDigital added: “In this legendary city square they shoot the critical moment when the paparazzi chase Lady Di’s car through Paris.”
Netflix previously told the Sun that “the exact moment of the crash impact will not be shown.”
The highly successful series has recently come under hefty fire, with a number of high profile British figures coming forward to condemn its writing. Last week, former British PM John Major, played by Trainspotting star Johnny Lee Miller, criticised a storyline showing King Charles plotting to oust his mum, prompting Netflix bosses to defend the show.
Oscar-winning actress Dame Judi Dench has also criticised The Crown, calling for officials to display a factual disclaimer as she worried it will present “an inaccurate and hurtful account of history.”
After initially refusing her request, Netflix have now added a warning to the series description online, which states: "Inspired by real events, this fictional dramatization tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign."
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