The fourth season of the ultra-popular Netflix TV series, The Crown unfolded against the backdrop of the mid-’80s and early ’90s, a particularly tumultuous time for the Royal family, which included the entrance of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the nationwide unrest that followed, the Falklands War and a break-in at the palace. However, arguably the most exciting part for fans was the playing out of the relationship between Princess Diana and Prince Charles—played by Emma Corrin and Josh O'Connor—including their engagement, marriage and its subsequent breakdown.
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Season three of The Crown covered Prince Charles's relationship and breakup with Camilla Shand. Season four continues the story by adding colour to Diana's life before she met her future husband, a storyline that was important to cover, according to Corrin, who, along with O'Connor, spoke with us over a video call. "I really think that I’ve had a very interesting time playing younger Diana, because that has not been as well-documented as the rest of her life," says Corrin, who found researching the earlier parts of her character's life the most fruitful. “Seeing her when she's younger, with her flatmates, dancing to Duran Duran and hanging out with friends,” helps show fans the contrast between the “the world she was taken from and the world she was brought into,” says the actor. “We learnt how it changed her and how it affected her.”
In the first few episodes of the season, as their relationship is starting up, happier moments between the couple—though few and far between—serve as much-needed moments of levity through some of the darkness. “The biggest challenge in telling this love story is that we all know the end,” confirm Corrin and O'Connor. “To try to convince people that we’re in love when the end is so bitter was hard. But actually, the day-to-day, filming of those loving and joyful scenes, I found them the most enjoyable. Because Emma and I do get on, those are more accessible. It was often a relief to be able to play those feelings rather than be angry and hateful,” said O'Connor.
But it's not just all doom and gloom. “When Josh and I came to rehearse scenes, we focused on the nuances of their marriage. It didn't work out in so many ways, but we had this feeling. There was an increasing sense that there was still so much love there between them. We were trying to figure out where that love was—and where it came from,” said Corrin. “There’s a great moment in episode nine and Charles is watching Diana and the boys play, and you can see their love together as a family and I really think that existed."
The story between the two has been told and re-told through books, movies and TV shows over the years. But most of the time, it has been through Diana's perspective, especially due to her personal biographies and TV interviews that played out after the divorce. On The Crown, a more balanced approach has taken. “Peter [Morgan] wants to give perspective and a non-biased view. The focus of this season is Diana’s through line, and it helps enrich the experience of Diana’s story from the audience perspective if we see where Charles is coming from and what he is going through too,” says O'Connor.
While the royals are very often painted as being inaccessible characters that are completely out of the realm of normal life, The Crown has attempted to bridge the gap. “Peter Morgan’s script does a lot to humanise the characters. He has this incredible way of writing these Shakespearean characters with a lot of depth. This raw, relatable emotion is why you want to keep watching,” confirms Corrin.
Also read:
A timeline of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s tumultuous, tragic relationship
Has The Crown changed how we view the royal family?
The true story behind Princess Diana’s engagement ring and its starring role in The Crown
