Here’s What Really Happened to Princess Diana’s Secret Interview Tapes From ‘The Crown’

The crown has a way of chronicling the royals’ more scandalous moments (even that iconic revenge dress). But perhaps the bravest of all? Princess Dayanasecret book tapes of.

Season 5 of the sensational Netflix series partly follows Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki) in the next stage of her life, during which she begins to take control of her narrative. In the first few episodes, we will see journalist Andrew Morton (Andrew Steele), whom Diana calls “one of the friendly ones,” turns to her dear friend Dr. James Colthurst (Oliver Chris), as a means of gaining access to the late Spencer. He agreed, and thus began the exchange of secret interviews that later informed the 1992 exposé. Diana: Her True Story.

The biography revealed shocking details about the Princess of Wales’ private life, including her struggles with mental health, her crumbling marriage to current King Charles III and her difficult life in the royal family. Like the series, the explosive biography of Princess Diana caused major repercussions – Charles and Diana separated later that year and divorced in 1996, the year before her death. hHere’s everything we know about the real story behind Princess Diana’s book entries:

Did Princess Diana really record secret tapes?

True! Andrew and Diana denied her involvement at the time of publication, but he later revealed that she was the primary source. However, the biographer said Entertainment tonight that the series condenses the “labor-intensive” events behind the tapes.

The two had a kind of espionage, which Andrew portrayed: “What would happen is that James Colthurst, the middleman, would go to Kensington Palace with a list of questions that I prepared, and he would microphone Diana. She would then answer questions and then they would go to lunch. After that, it was my job to write everything down and ask for follow-ups.”

Like The crown Andrew hinted Daily Mail that Diana detailed her life on the records. “Turning on the battered tape recorder, I listened with increasing amazement to the unmistakable voice of Princess Diana. She was pouring out a tale of woe in a rapid stream of consciousness,” he told the outlet.

Who is James Colthurst?

Although we do see Diana’s doctor friend in a limited number of appearances The crown — one episode to be exact — he had a much more prominent role in her court. The couple originally met in Val Claret, France, when Diana injured her ankle, and remained close for years, according to City and Province.

“Good fun, bright and mischievous, it was hard not to fall for Diana immediately and so began the friendship that she and I maintained for the rest of her short, eventful life,” he wrote in Telegraph essay on what her 60th birthday would be.

Diana entrusted James with her innermost secrets, including the task of smuggling her recorded responses to Andrew. The doctor said 60 minutes that their meetings require a lot more precautions than seen on the show, using phone “scramblers” to record their conversations. “I had one and Diana had the other, she’d put it over the phone, that’s how. This is encrypted between the two. It’s really primitive technology for today, but at the time… it worked very well.”

Did Prince Philip really try to talk Diana out?

It is said that Prince Philip they felt sympathy for and even liked Diana, as shown through their interactions in season 4. This dynamic changes in season 5 when Philip confronts Diana and warns her not to speak out. According to USA todayhowever, the meeting never actually happened, at least not in the same way.

Whispers around the palace made it clear that many knew about the book months before it was published, saying that Diana had something to do with it. USA today reported that Diana was adamantly in denial Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and private secretary Robert Fellowes at a meeting at Windsor Castle. In that discussion, the monarch and patriarch urged Diana and Charles to stay together and learn to deal with their difficulties, according to the publication.

How much did you do? The crown are you ok

Also, the show kept a keen eye for accuracy. Andrew said Today that he served as a consultant on the show — the series went so far as to recreate the wallpaper in his daughter’s bedroom (which he used as an office at the time) and the font on the chapters he sent Diana.

The author told Today that the scariest thing of all was watching Elizabeth Debicki play Diana. “Her mannerisms and speech patterns were identical to those of the late princess,” he said on the show. “For me, after working so closely with her, it was like seeing a ghost.”