The Crown season 6 review: A somber first part about Princess Diana’s last few weeks before her fatal accident

In our The Crown season 6 review, we explore how the series continues its tradition of delivering uncanny resemblances and providing an insider's perspective on the royal family

The Crown season 6 review: Out of the many pivotal moments The Crown has been through so far, Princess Diana’s arc looms large over it all. Not just in the show but in real life too, her aura, her fashion, her poise, and her tragic accident are still topics of discussion amongst people. Season 6, which is the last chapter of the award-winning series, has been divided into two parts. The first four episodes solely focus on Princess Diana’s life after her scandalous divorce from Prince Charles. The previous season ended with her meeting Mohammed Al Fayed, a businessman from Egypt who desperately wanted to form relations with the royal family for clout and for British citizenship. 

His son, Dodi, and Princess Diana were his scapegoats to achieve those dreams. He plays Cupid among the two even though Dodi is engaged to be married to someone else. But just as he had planned, Dodi and Diana formed a liking for each other. The two first met each other on his father’s yacht in the summer of 1997. From there, their companionship blossomed, but they also attracted insanely abnormal paparazzi attention. Since she was no longer connected to the royal family, she was just like any other celebrity that the public was highly interested in, which fueled competition amongst the paparazzi. She was their golden ticket to fame and fortune. Just one single picture was bought by the newspapers for hundreds of dollars, which gave a huge incentive to invade her privacy and get a never-before-seen look inside her personal life. So what was supposed to be a secret summer fling turned out to be the whole world’s interest. 

Also Read: The Crown season 5 shows the ugly war of the Wales, the Monarchy's refusal to change with times, and way too many storylines overlapping each other

Diana’s relationship with the media was turbulent and scary from the beginning, and this season authentically shows that. She was always deeply troubled by them, but little did she know they would also play a huge part in her death. The four episodes showing the weeks leading up to the fatal day portray various different sides of Diana. Elizabeth Debicki picks up her mannerisms and speech phenomenally well. The voice especially is spine-chilling to hear, and the exact same dresses on her make her feel so real. She was a philanthropist, a friend, a girl seeking to fill the void her troublesome marriage had left, but most importantly, she was a mother who unconditionally loved her boys. Out of all the relationships shown in Diana’s life, her adoration for Prince William and Harry brought outshine in her eyes, and they came above everything else in her life.

After a sneaky picture of her kissing Dodi Fayed was on the front page of newspapers, Diana just wanted to escape the paparazzi wherever she went. It was also taking away attention from her charity work. People spoke more about her relationship than the things she stood for. After a point, it started making her uncomfortable to the point where she felt suffocated in her relationship with Dodi as well. When you watch the last few moments before the accident, it shows everything that contributes to it. How the driver was also drunk, the speedy chase between their car and the papz, and before you can even process it, the car has crashed in the tunnel. 

Most of season 6 has been like that. You know things are about to crash down, but you just cannot look away. The aftermath of her passing is emotionally heavy to take. How the news was broken to her sons, the uproar it caused in public, and The Queen’s cold reaction to it. You see it all unfolding in front of you. It also makes you retrospect a lot of things. The same public who were crying at her funeral were the same who were interested in knowing about her private life. Her portrayal in the media was also sexist. Prince Charles hosts a birthday party for Camilla Shand, and that’s applaudable, whereas dating someone else is just plain crazy. He can do whatever he wants to win Camilla's approval, but she just cannot sit in peace. He is spending time with the kids, but she is vacationing with her boyfriend. It created a ‘troublemaker’ image of her and also created bitter competition between her and Prince Charles. 

While showing the last moments of Princess Diana’s life was important to the story and a cathartic experience for the audience, this part does not show much when it comes to the other characters. Especially Queen Elizabeth, it’s probably the first time so little is shown of her. Not to forget how Diana's 'ghost' appears after her death to have a heart-to-heart conversation with Prince Charles and the Queen. It all felt a bit melodramatic at the end, given that those were two people who were not fond of her at all. With Diana’s arc already over, I wonder what the show has to offer in the second part coming in December. Part one pulls you into the story with details we’ve always wanted to know. It paints a picture for us of how the last few days of her life would’ve been, and it leaves you teary-eyed.

The Crown season 6, part 1 is currently streaming on Netflix!

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