The streaming Netflix blockbuster “The Crown” marks its new season this fall. The series started out with Queen Elizabeth II as a young girl, moved on to her coronation, her rule as queen and now, here we are: the infamous relationship between Charles and Diana. It begins with family members pleading with Charles to rid himself of Camilla Parker Bowles and make a fresh start. He is fixed up with “Shy Di” Lady Diana Spencer who is a part-time kindergarten teacher and looks the part in her Slone Ranger gear. With his back against the wall, Charles proposes, leading to a wedding watched around the world. And it defines the fourth season of “The Crown.”
The season spans 1977 to 1990 and outlines the stormy relationship between the couple and the third party, Ms. Parker Bowles. As Diana famously uttered in her spectacular BBC interview, “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was getting a little crowded.”
The wedding was viewed by a whopping 750 million people in 74 countries, compared to 24 million for Prince William and Kate Middleton and roughly 18 million for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle years later.
Today, actress Emma Corrin plays the royal bride in one of the most closely watched events in British history.
It was a royal spectacle indeed with nothing coming even close since Princess Margaret wed in 1960, two decades earlier.
At the time, the country was going through a time of hardship, but historians argue that the royal fantasy did much to lift spirits and the media obsessed on every detail. They focused on everything from the bridal gown to the wedding cake.
“The Crown” for this episode is aptly named “The Fairytale” but begins to show cracks below the surface. It didn’t take long for word to slip out that Diana was troubled and unhappy. One scene shows the princess confronting Charles about Camilla Parker Bowles.
Corrin’s portrayal also captures Diana’s trademark style from “Shy Di” to “Princess Di,” “Dynasty Di” and “Single Di.” They include the famous pearl-studded “Elvis Dress,” “The Revenge Dress” and the stunner she wore to take a spin on the dance floor with John Travolta.
Together with Josh O’Connor, who plays Charles, they make an uncanny couple. And it makes for a season of jolly good watching. Netflex is streaming now.