William Is ‘Frustrated’ by ‘False Narratives’ About His Mom Diana on ‘The Crown’s Next Season

Not pleased. Prince William is “deeply frustrated” following a recent report about Princess Diana on The Crown‘s next season.

The Crown season 5, which is set to return in November 2021, is expected to feature an entire episode recreating Princess Diana’s bombshell 1995 interview with British journalist Martin Bashi for the BBC, where she infamously alluded to Prince Charles’ affair with his now-wife Camilla Parker Bowles by telling the reporter, “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.” The controversial interview was the subject of an internal investigation by the BBC in 2021, which found that Bashir coerced Princess Diana into the interview for the network’s Panorama series.

Per the investigation, Bashir attempted to convince the Princess of Wales that her estranged husband also cheated on her with royal staffer Tiggy Legge-Bourke, who worked as a nanny to their children, Prince Harry and Prince William. Bashir provided Diana with manufactured proof of the affair (which has since been disproven). Despite the false pretenses leading up to the interview, The Crown is still rumored to include it next season.

“To the writers, the stormy marriage between Charles and Di led up to her outpouring on Panorama, and the aftermath of that decision defined her final months,” a source told The Sun recently. “They are making a huge investment in that. ‘The Crown’ has a track record of delving into areas of the Royal Family’s history they’d rather be left alone.” Indeed, Prince William appears to feel similarly.

The Duke of Cambridge is reportedly upset by the “commercialization” of the “false narrative” surrounding his late mother’s interview, according to the Telegraph. Prince William’s reported reaction comes months after he and his brother, Prince Harry, released statements condemning Bashir and the BBC for their role in the interview.

“It is my firm view that this Panorama program holds no legitimacy and should never be aired again,” Prince William said in a statement at the time. “It effectively established a false narrative which, for over a quarter of a century, has been commercialized by the BBC and others. This settled narrative now needs to be addressed by the BBC and anyone else who has written or intends to write about these events.”

He continued, “In an era of fake news, public service broadcasting and a free press have never been more important. These failings, identified by investigative journalists, not only let my mother down, and my family down; they let the public down too.”

Diana: Her True Story — In Her Own Words

Image: Courtesy of Thorndike Press.

Buy: 'Diana: Her True Story — In Her Own Words' $10.99

For more about Princess Diana, read Andrew Morton’s biography, Diana: Her True Story — In Her Words. The New York Times bestseller, which was first published in 1992, is the only authorized biography about Princess Diana. The book, which Diana collaborated on, includes raw and unfiltered quotes from the Princess of Wales about her unhappy marriage to Prince Charles, her relationship with Queen Elizabeth II, her life in the House of Windsor, and her hopes, dreams and fears for her children, Prince William and Prince Harry, before her death in 1997. The biography, which has been described as the “closest we will ever come” to a Princess Diana autobiography, was republished with new material in 2017 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the People’s Princess’ death.

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