Netflix’s The Crown is accused of misrepresenting the famous 1997 photoshoot with Charles, William and Harry to make it seem like a response to Diana’s romance with Dodi Al-Fayed

A famous photoshoot of Prince Charles and his two sons in 1997 is misrepresented in Netflix’s The Crown in response to Princess Diana’s new romance, a Mail podcast has revealed.

In the second episode of ‘The Crown: Fact or Fiction’, Mail royal expert Richard Kay revealed he was present at the Balmoral photocall portrayed in the hit series.

It took place about two weeks before Princess Diana died in a car crash and Prince William, then 15, and Prince Harry, 12, were seen posing with their father on the banks of the River Dee.

The latest series of The Crown attempts to present the photoshoot as a ploy by palace officials to respond to recently published photos of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed kissing on a yacht.

The character in the show calls a local photographer and he is shown taking the photos privately, which according to Kay, couldn’t have been further from the truth.

“Three days, I think, before the photos of Diana and Dodi were even published, we were told that there would be a photo interview at the palace of Charles and his sons, who would be arriving early in Balmoral,” Kay told the paper . podcast.

The recreated photo from season six of the Netflix series The Crown

“I think there were about 40 of us: camera crews, photographers and a handful of reporters,” Kay added.

The second episode of the sixth series of The Crown presents the photoshoot as a rainy, windy day, when in reality the press and royals were basking in the sun.

Kay continued, “They performed, I think that’s the best way to put it. Charles was very nice, wished us all a nice day, the boys were clumsy, but they were young and didn’t like this kind of thing.’

A palace official organizing the event was even asked at the time whether the photo call was a response to the photos of Diana and Dodi, Kay recalled.

He said: ‘She absolutely angrily denied it and pointed out that it was organized before the photos of Diana and Dodi had even emerged so it was not a quid pro quo.’

Mail writer Robert Hardman and Mail on Sunday Royal Correspondent Natasha Livingstone also pulled scenes from the episode in which Diana raises awareness about the impact of landmines.

The Crown shows the princess taking a trip to Bosnia to meet survivors of the deadly buried weapons, recreating her famous walk through a mining area.

Princess Diana in St. Tropez, France, on Mohamed Al Fayed’s yacht in July 1997

Princess Diana and Prince Harry on holiday in St. Tropez. Harry and William were on holiday with their mother before joining their father in Balmoral

Diana didn’t even walk through a minefield in Bosnia. Instead, the photos that have become instantly recognizable were taken during a trip to Angola to promote the Halo Trust’s vital work in January 1997, months before the scene in The Crown took place.

Hardman also revealed that the “comedic press conference” portrayed in the series, which showed Diana being bombarded with questions about her personal life, never happened.

In the show she wore a badge that read ‘ReliefAid’, a charity based in New Zealand that has nothing to do with landmines.

At the time, she was raising awareness of the Landmine Survivors Network and wore a badge that read ‘British Red Cross’.

Princess Diana walked through a minefield in Angola to promote the vital work of the Halo Trust (left). Actress Elizabeth Debicki, who plays Diana in season six of the royal drama, reenacted the princess’ walk while wearing a different logo (right)

Princess Diana in Angola. Insiders at the Halo Trust said it was ‘a shame’ that Netflix bosses chose not to include them, as the series could have promoted the cause to The Crown’s global audience of 73 million viewers.

Her mission in Angola was to support another anti-mining charity, The Halo Trust.

Insiders at The Halo Trust said it was ‘a shame’ that Netflix bosses chose not to include them, as the series could have promoted the cause to The Crown’s global audience of 73 million viewers.

Livingstone said ReliefAid was “completely baffled when I contacted them about this” as they had “never worked in Angola and did not do any demining.”

She continued: ‘The Halo Trust said they had not been asked or consulted about the scene and would have been delighted to see their logo featured in the show.

‘It’s another opportunity [The Crown has] counterfeit things, for reasons unknown.”