The ‘grotesque’ portrayal of the car crash that killed Princess Diana goes ‘too far’, claims her former butler Paul Burrell

Princess Diana’s former butler claims series six of Netflix’s The Crown has “gone too far” by recreating the final months of the late royal’s life.

Paul Burrell, 65, served as a footman to the late queen before working for Diana as a butler for a decade until her death in Paris in 1997.

In conversation with De MirrorHe said the current series is too close to recent history, opening old wounds among Diana’s close friends and family, including Prince William, 41, and Prince Harry, 39.

“It still feels macabre to show the vehicle she died in, it’s just gone too far,” Paul said. ‘I find the whole scene of Diana’s death depicted in a fictional TV show grotesque.’

Paul – who famously claimed he was Diana’s ‘rock’ after her bitter divorce from King Charles in 1996 – urged viewers to view The Crown with caution.

Paul, who believes the series has gone ‘too far’, urged viewers to protect the late princess’ legacy instead of fixating on her final moments.

Speaking on ITV’s Lorraine show this morning, Burrell further shared his concerns about the show, admitting he can’t watch the ‘graphic’ series.

He said, ‘I can’t watch that [series six of The Crown] it’s too graphic and too much. It will upset a lot of people. I find this series very difficult. I don’t know if I can watch it.’

Paul added: “I can watch the first few series because it’s been so long, but now it’s too early.

‘I’m going to be critical. I think the princess was misunderstood. The Diana I knew was a fighter and she fought for her boys.”

But it wasn’t just Princess Diana who Paul says was misrepresented by the show.

“I knew the Queen very well and I know she wouldn’t want to be portrayed that way,” he said.

“She was a warm, loving grandmother, and she was the beating heart of our nation. I think there has been a misrepresentation.”

Paul Burrell holding hands with his sons as they arrive at Westminster Abbey for the funeral of The Princess Of Wales in 1997

In the series, Diana (played by Elizabeth Debicki) and Dodi (played by Khalid Abdalla) are shown getting into a car outside the Ritz Hotel in Paris, which Dodi owned.

Speaking in a hallway prior to their fateful final trip, Dodi asks Henri Paul, the Ritz’s deputy head of security, if the couple is safe to travel.

In French, Henri explains that two staffers have brought a decoy vehicle with them so that the coast is clear for Diana and Dodi.

“No one will see us leave, believe me,” he tells Dodi.

But as the couple walk to the Mercedes-Benz W140, they are flanked by paparazzi.

Ominous music then plays as the driver asks Diana if everything is okay, before Dodi tells Henri – who is driving the vehicle – ‘allez’.

The car then accelerates through the streets of the French capital before entering the tunnel at high speed.

It comes after Netflix stressed during production of series six that viewers will not see the crash that killed Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed. But the episode does play audio of the fatal incident.

The Crown has recreated Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed’s final moments before their fatal car crash in Paris. Elizabeth Debicki as Diana and Khalid Abdalla as Dodi star in the terrifying scene

Other recently released clips include Charles’ despair as he tells William and Harry that their mother has died, and Diana telling Dodi that she is a ‘persona non-grata’ at Balmoral.

The show will also depict the last time Prince William and Prince Harry spoke to their mother, but it will not be an actual reflection of the conversation.

In episode four, Diana is depicted as frustrated while in Paris with Dodi, and desperate to return to Britain to see her sons.

After missing one chance to speak to them on the phone, Diana finally manages to call Prince William and Prince Harry, where they ask her if she is going to marry billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed’s son.

‘I am emphatically not going to marry Dodi. Honestly, I can’t wait to get home,” Diana says in the dramatized version of events.

William then asks his mother if everything is okay. She nods and says, “I’m doing well. It’s just a little crazy here. I don’t really understand how I ended up here. Mom just needs to make some changes in her life, that’s all. But that’s not your problem, that’s mine.’

In a tender moment she tells her sons that she loves them, and they respond that they love her too. She promises to return home to see them the next evening.

However, according to Prince Harry and Prince William’s accounts of the last phone conversation he ever had with his mother, this version of events is not entirely accurate.

While it’s true that Prince William and Prince Harry shared a phone conversation with their mother on the last day she was alive, her youngest son has said he doesn’t really remember what was said.

Meanwhile, William said he wanted to get on the phone so he could play with his cousins.