Warning! SPOILERS ahead for The Crown season 6, part 1.
Elizabeth Debicki explains the emotional Diana and Charles scene from The Crown season 6. The Netflix series, following the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, began its final stretch of episodes on November 16. After the dissolution of her marriage to Charles (Dominic West), The Crown season 6 focuses on Princess Diana’s tragic death, and the days leading up to it. Along with Debicki and West, the cast of The Crown includes Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Price, Lesley Manville, Olivia Williams, Khalid Abdalla, and more. During episode 4, titled “Aftermath,” the show portrays a mournful Charles engaging in conversation with Diana after her death.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Debicki discussed filming that emotional scene from The Crown season 6, and revealed that she and West hadn’t run through it beforehand. She also explained how, through their conversation, the characters were able to open up, and that there were a lot of tears. Read Debicki’s comments regarding the scene between Diana and Charles below:
That scene was really devastating and really beautiful. Dom and I were very curious when we were heading into it. I don’t think we knew how to play it, and I don’t think we rehearsed it actually. So, what people see is very raw; it’s like the first or second take for both of us. It’s kind of a meta conversation about grief. And for me, it felt so real, the idea that if you suddenly lose somebody that you love, you have to speak to them again. And also, in this imaginary incarnation, they’re able to say what they never maybe were able to say. I think that’s very real and accurate in grieving somebody.
And having the opportunity as the character to say the thing that I feel I probably wanted to say inside that character for two seasons just absolutely destroyed me, but in the best way. But what you don’t see, of course, is we would do the takes and then someone would cut, and then we would both wail and it would be that really terrible aching kind of cry. And then we’d mop it all up and we’d do another take. I think we shot it for about an hour and by the end of it, we were on the table. We were so tired. But I’m really proud of that scene. I feel like it’s really honest and I just think that Dom’s work in the whole season, but particularly in that episode, is just astonishingly beautiful.
How The Crown Season 6 Handles Diana’s Death
Some of Charles and Diana’s last interactions on The Crown included when they are contemplating their relationship, a discussion that ends poorly, with Debicki’s character in tears, or when they agree to raise their children well. However, Charles expresses feelings of remorse during his conversation with Diana in season 6 following her death. The Crown never showed the accident itself, but did portray the events leading up to it. Talking about the season, Debicki previously explained how “strange” it was to depict Diana’s final moments since many people were familiar with the photos of her and Dodi Fayed, who was also killed.
After her own encounter with Diana, Queen Elizabeth II (Staunton) decides to speak publicly and address the sorrow exhibited by those around the world. The Crown season 6, part 1 also portrayed Diana’s ceremonial funeral, though it did not include the eulogy given by Charles Spencer, which executive producer Suzanne Mackie revealed was because it wasn’t necessarily right for the story.
The Crown season 6 spent a lot of time dealing with the death of Princess Diana, and as Debicki mentioned, that scene between her and Charles afforded them an opportunity to open up. It was an emotional moment, and looking ahead, it will be interesting to see if she’s featured in any of the remaining episodes.
