The Crown’s Elizabeth Debicki talks about filming ‘difficult’ scenes with Princess Diana, including THAT iconic blue swimsuit and ‘invasive’ car chase – as stars were reduced to tears during filming

Stars of The Crown have said they were reduced to tears while filming scenes surrounding Princess Diana’s death.

The Netflix series has faced backlash for choosing to dramatize the tragic events of 1997, despite executives insisting the portrayal was done with the utmost sensitivity.

Elizabeth Debicki, 33, who plays the princess, said she found filming the scenes leading up to her death “tough and very manic and incredibly invasive.”

Ahead of the launch of series six of the royal drama next week, she said: “It was hard to recreate.

‘Sometimes it’s almost an animal reaction when you’re being chased by so many actors playing the press, because you have nowhere to go and you only have to be in that situation for about a minute before you realize that this is completely unbearable. ‘

Iconic scene: A photo of the late Princess of Wales shows her in a turquoise swimsuit as she stands elegantly on the edge of a diving board in Portofino

Doomed: Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana and Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed in The Crown

The Australian actress said filming Diana’s last 24 hours had been “very demanding”, adding: “I think it’s going to be very interesting to see how people react to the show.”

An iconic photo of the late Princess of Wales shows her in a turquoise swimsuit as she elegantly stood on the edge of a diving board in Portofino, Italy in 1997.

Elizabeth revealed the painstaking steps the Netflix show took to recreate it as accurately as possible.

She said, “There was just something about that swimsuit and recreating that moment that felt very sacred, and it was really important that we get it right.”

Jonathan Pryce, 76, who plays Prince Philip, said he ‘couldn’t stop crying’ as director Christian Schwochow put together clips from the series so they could watch Diana’s death.

He added: ‘Neither could the cameraman who filmed it, nor the director who filmed it. It was an extraordinary moment. It was a reliving of waking up and listening to the radio.’

Fellow cast member Khalid Abdalla, 42, who plays Dodi Fayed, said he even walked the route of the car the couple died in in the Alma Tunnel to better “understand” what happened.

The actor said: ‘There are all kinds of things I understood about the geography of what happened that day that I didn’t understand before I did this, or until I did what I did walking all the way from the car down . to the Alma Tunnel, back and forth, to understand it.

“It’s a huge responsibility, and I hope that when the public sees it, they feel like we’ve done a good job and appreciate how sensitive it is.”

Dodi’s father Mohamed Fayed, played by Salim Daw, is seen grieving in some scenes.

Young actor Fflyn Edwards, who plays Prince Harry, amazed director Schwochow with his ability to capture the prince’s emotion in the aftermath of his mother’s death.

Chase: Ms. Debicki (pictured left) as Diana in Paris. Stars of The Crown have said they were reduced to tears while filming scenes surrounding Princess Diana’s death

Father: Salim Daw as Mohamed Fayed. Dodi’s father Mohamed Fayed, played by Salim Daw, is seen grieving in some scenes

“For me in my directing career, seeing this 12-year-old actor surrounded by a hundred extras, a hundred film crews and all these star actors and he showed an emotion from the first take that made us all stop breathing. Mr Schwochow said.

Crown producers came under fire earlier this year when it emerged they had shot scenes of the build-up to the crash, footage of a mangled car and Diana’s coffin.

The late princess will also appear as a ghost in an emotional reconciliation with a grieving Prince Charles, played by Dominic West.

In other series six storylines, Prince William tries to integrate into life at Eton in the aftermath of his mother’s death.

Elizabeth Debicki (pictured in April 2023), 33, who plays the princess, said she found filming the scenes leading up to her death “tough and very manic and incredibly invasive.”

The Queen, played by 67-year-old Imelda Staunton, reaches her Golden Jubilee and considers the future of the monarchy with the wedding of Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles.

Lesley Manville, 67, reprising her role as Princess Margaret, said she understood some of the criticism of the Queen’s sister as she was a “spoiled princess” who “didn’t do much to earn money”.

The first four episodes will be released on November 16 and the rest on December 14.