The Crown: The Revelations of Carlos and Diana’s Relationship in Season 5
Princess Diana’s infamous quote to BBC journalist Martin Bashir – “There were three people in that marriage, it was a bit crowded” – about the collapse of her marriage with Prince Charles and his extramarital relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles set off a media frenzy in 1995. In its fifth season, The Crown dedicates two episodes to the interview that implied a cataclysm for the British crown, and the “dirty” journalistic work by Bashir on which showrunner Peter Morgan deals with necessary thoroughness.
A Life Subject to Flashes
Although the fifth season of The Crown does not end with Diana’s death, her tragic accident in Paris in the Alma bridge tunnel flies over the 10 episodes through the constant presence of the paparazzi in key situations of her life. Morgan delves into the minutiae of the daily life of the marriage in which Diana continued to seek support from her husband, who at the last minute canceled trips or brought friends to avoid being alone with the princess. The image of Diana smiling to keep up appearances in the face of those flashes that led to her death on the 31st August 1997 is disturbing, and actress Elizabeth Debicki personifies that duality in which the princess had to move, adding more layers that denote Diana’s wear and tear in that world where women prevailed appearances and duty.
The Private Talks of Carlos and Camilla, Uncovered
The Crown’s fifth season reveals the so-called “Tampongate,” the moment when the queen’s son, Carlos, and his lover, Camilla, had a high-voltage conversation that was accidentally intercepted and sold to the press. Morgan plays with chronology and inaccuracies, first showing this event and then the announcement of the separation of Diana and Carlos. The season also alludes to the ruthless royal “system” and how the prince had to obey his parents’ orders for what was one more stain on the crown’s reputation.
Diana, The Book, and the Infamous Interview
Morgan’s attention to symbolism shows through the previous two events that were a true bomb for the royal family: the book published in 1992, Diana: a true story, by Andrew Morton, and the interview she gave to the BBC. The parallel between the interview and the November 5th celebration is somewhat crude, but the message is clear: Spencer blew up the crown from his own home. However, one of the weakest points of this installment of The Crown was its obsession with the network of various actions and its dismissal of the consequences, which causes the series to become a bit anticlimactic.
Controversy and The Crown’s Treatment of the Royal Family
Regarding the controversy with the royal family and complaints about The Crown’s treatment of it, it should be clarified that the series is fiction and takes several licenses. In some sections of the fifth season, decisions such as the long sequence in which Diana and Carlos finally reach an agreement and have dinner together reminiscing about the beginning of their relationship are made with a tone that borders on the humorous. Although the inclusion of a scene of truce between the two is not reprehensible, it is dissonant with the period that the fifth season covers – a much darker and stormier one.
