“Hello, boys,” Princess Diana says, with a slight edge to her voice, as she confronts paparazzi in The Crown.
In the scene which takes place in episode one of the final season of the hit Netflix series, actor Elizabeth Debicki portrays what might have happened during a conversation between the former Princess of Wales and a group of photographers, who have been watching her every move.
In this instance, they’ve followed her and her young family to Saint-Tropez, and Princes William and Harry have unfortunately noticed the media frenzy surrounding their trip.
“Enjoying your holiday,” one of the men asks. Diana, who has left the Al-Fayed family yacht via speed boat to meet the group, replies, “Yes, we’re having a lovely time, apart from one little thing, you lot.”
“Seriously, how long are we going to have the pleasure of your company? The attention is starting to freak out the boys,” she adds.
Thankfully, Diana has a plan. “You leave me and my boys alone, please, and you’re going to get a big surprise with the next thing I do,” the Princess continues, apparently trying to strike a bargain. Finally, she poses for the cameras, smiling, before going on her way, having said all that she needs to.
It’s a great entertainment, but ‘Did it happen in real life?’ you may very well be asking. Well, unlike some scenes in The Crown which are entirely speculative, there does appear to be some truth in the matter.
For starters, the real Princess Diana was photographed wearing a leopard print swimsuit similar to that worn by Debicki in the series. She did also confront paparazzi during her stay in Saint-Tropez, according to accounts at the time.
Writing for Vanity Fair, one year on from the car crash that tragically killed Diana, Sally Bedell Smith outlined what we know about the real exchange and what Diana could have meant by her ‘surprise’.
Talking of Diana’s dealing with the press, Smith writes, “She had a natural cunning, and she would lay down false scents to confuse her pursuers.”
Her account continues: “On a holiday in July 1997 with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and his family in Saint-Tropez, she first eluded paparazzi by crawling along a balcony and hiding behind a towel, then surprised a contingent of British tabloid reporters and photographers (…) by addressing them from her motorboat in a fetching leopard-print bathing suit. ‘You will have a big surprise coming soon, the next thing I do,’ she teased, and implied that she was thinking of living abroad.”
However, Smith notes that Diana made a “vague denial” within 24 hours. So, while we’re not certain about the surprise to which the late Princess may have been referring, there is quite a bit we do know about that day.
History is also clear on the part media intrusion played in Princess Diana’s death, when she was killed in a car crash while paparazzi pursued the vehicle she was travelling in.
This too is referenced in the final season of The Crown, which spotlights Diana’s legacy, by highlighting her advocacy work related to landmines. The series also explores her romance with Dodi Fayed, which, once more, attracted a great deal of media attention.
Junior Features Writer
Amber O’Connor is Cosmopolitan UK’s Junior Features Writer. She’s passionate about women’s health, fitness, and books, all of which she regularly covers in her work. Amber has ample experience in writing (and breaking) the latest news stories of the day with care and accuracy. In her spare time, she loves dancing, running, and listening to Taylor Swift.
