New photos from the shooting of The Crown reveal how the Netflix series will show moped-riding paparazzi photographers swarming Princess Diana‘s car in the lead-up to the crash that killed her.
The images, taken on Thursday night in Paris, show snappers riding on the back of mopeds as they drive close to a Mercedes.
Netflix previously said the ‘exact moment’ of the crash will not feature in the controversial drama as filming for series six is well-underway.
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Action: New photos from the shooting of The Crown reveal how the Netflix series will show moped-riding paparazzi photographers swarming Princess Diana’s car in the lead up to the crash that killed her
In the new pictures, the cast are seen travelling through Place de la Concorde, just a four-minute drive from the tunnel in which she was tragically killed.
The photographers are seen driving close to a Mercedes similar to the one Diana was travelling in when it crashed in the Alma tunnel in Paris in the early hours of August 31, 1997.
The late Princess of Wales is being played by Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki in the upcoming fifth and sixth series of The Crown. The fifth series is being released on November 9, with the sixth series still being filmed.
The latest filming pictures come after critics slammed the ‘insensitivity’ of Netflix amid outrage over the show’s disregard for historical truth.
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In-character: Elizabeth Debicki is pictured as the Princess of Wales
Netflix declined to comment when approached by MailOnline.
The paparazzi infamously pursued the car being driven by drunk driver Henri Paul as it carried Diana and her lover Dodi Al Fayed away from the Ritz hotel in Paris.
Some then took pictures as Diana, Dodi and Paul lay gravely injured in the wrecked Mercedes after the crash.
It comes after Princess Diana’s friends slammed the ‘insensitivity’ of Netflix as initial images of the scene emerged.
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Tragic: The images, taken on Thursday night in Paris, show snappers riding on the back of mopeds as they drive close to a Mercedes
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Wow! The vehicle is similar to the one that Diana was traveling in when it crashed in the Alma tunnel in Paris in the early hours of August 31, 1997
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Awful: They are seen travelling through Place de la Concorde, just a four minute drive from the tunnel in which she was tragically killed
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Horrendous: The paparazzi infamously pursued the car being driven by drunk driver Henri Paul as it carried Diana and her lover Dodi Al Fayed away from the Ritz hotel in Paris
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Terrible: Some then took pictures as Diana, Dodi and Paul lay gravely injured in the wrecked Mercedes after the crash
Speaking to MailOnline, royal biographer Andrew Lownie said the depiction of the minutes before Diana’s death is ‘distasteful’, adding that ‘a bit of sensitivity would not go amiss’.
Onlookers said Netflix crews were previously seen filming between 2am and 3am around 100 yards from the Alma tunnel.
The pictures showed the black Mercedes like the one the couple were travelling in on that tragic day being filmed in another nearby tunnel on the same road.
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Claims: Netflix, who declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline, previously insisted the ‘exact moment’ of the crash will not feature in the controversial drama
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Bad taste: Speaking to MailOnline, royal biographer Andrew Lownie said the depiction of the minutes before Diana’s death is ‘distasteful’, adding that ‘a bit of sensitivity would not go amiss’
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Coming soon: The fifth series is being released on November 9, with the sixth series still being filmed
A friend of Diana’s said the show’s makers could face accusations of ‘insensitivity’ over the filming in Paris.
Mr Lownie, the author of biographies of King Edward VIII and Lord Mountbatten and his wife, said of the latest images: ‘I agree it is distasteful [to recreate the scenes].
‘It is such an important part of the story and they have got to show it, but a bit of sensitivity would not go amiss.
‘There are lots of ways filmmakers can show something without showing it, shall we say.’
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Beauty: Diana is pictured during a visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina on November 25, 1995
He added: It could all be off screen. It doesn’t need to be so graphic. We have had documentaries even showing pictures of the bodies in the car. In some ways people have gone further.
‘They will say this is drama, documentaries have been more blatant, so what is the fuss.’
His comments come after Debbie Frank, who was Diana’s astrologer, said it would be ‘terrible’ for Princes William and Harry to see a recreation of the moments leading up to their mother’s death.
‘It’s obviously terrible for Diana’s children to have to see that again. It’s insensitive,’ she said.
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Preview: A new trailer shows Elizabeth Debicki as Diana screeching to a halt in car chase scene in a red puffer jacket
She added: ‘I feel Diana’s death and the crash was the biggest shock of our generation. It had such a huge impact across the national psyche.
‘I guess the makers of The Crown feel they are entitled to show a re-enactment of scenes leading up to her death and that it has dramatic impact. But relatives would think otherwise.’
Miss Frank, who knew Diana from 1989 until her death, also questioned if this was the right time for a dramatization of Diana’s death so soon after the Queen’s death.
Royal biographer Angela Levin said: ‘I think they’re appalling, it’s so callous and particularly for William and Harry.
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‘I never stood a chance’: It also shows Diana in a skin-baring swimsuit as she floats in the water
‘It’s terrible, it’s reliving something that happened a long time ago and is still in people’s minds and making them have all those feelings again.
‘You can do a dramatisation of events, but there is a limit – and I think this is going over the limit. It’s not necessary. I feel very sorry for the Royal Family.
‘It’s very hurtful for them, and everyone who knew Diana. She was adored around the world and it will bring a lot of people a lot of unhappiness.’
Another viewer wrote on Twitter: ‘Wow, The Crown has gone too far. Prince Harry, this has crossed the line and is disrespectful of your mother the late Princess Diana. Filming 100 yards from where the crash happened, how desperate is Netflix to cash in on the Royal Family.’
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Their take: The latest season of The Crown ‘would have destroyed the Queen’ because of how ‘vicious’ the dramatised plotlines are, one of her close friends has revealed. Pictured: Imelda Staunton
A second added: ‘The active retraumatising of two men who lost their mother through this dramatisation is shameful.’
A source from the show’s makers said: ‘Netflix have made it clear that The Crown Season 6 features the lead up the to the Paris tunnel crash and the aftermath, but not the event itself.’
The source declined to comment on whether the filming in Paris was insensitive.
The fifth series of The Crown, which will cover the years leading up to Princess Diana’s 1995 Panorama interview, has already sparked anger before its release.
Netflix releases the official trailer for season 5 of ‘The Crown’
Acting royalty Dame Judi Dench, who is close to King Charles and Camilla, accused the programme of being ‘crude and hurtful’.
Dame Judi, 87, who has played Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, told The Times the series risked damaging the monarchy. The Oscar-winning actress blamed it for ‘crude sensationalism’ and blurring fact and fiction.
Former Prime Minister Sir John Major criticised a scene which shows him having a conversation with then Prince Charles about the possibility of the Queen abdicating as ‘malicious nonsense’.
Amid growing controversy about the way The Crown blurs reality and fiction, Netflix recently updated its description of the series to add a disclaimer to its trailer on YouTube which says it is a ‘fictional dramatisation’.
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Oh dear! Acting royalty Dame Judi Dench, who is close to King Charles and Camilla, accused the programme of being ‘crude and hurtful’ (pictured in 2021)
The previous fourth series of the drama was criticised for not doing enough to tell viewers it was a work of fiction.
A new cast is in place for series five and six of The Crown, with Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki playing Diana and Dominic West as Charles.
The sixth series, currently being filmed, will cover Diana’s death in 1997 and reportedly end with the wedding of Charles and Camilla in 2005.
The Crown has been a huge hit for Netflix. Each episode now costs around £11.5million.
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Angry: Former Prime Minister Sir John Major criticised a scene which shows him having a conversation with then Prince Charles about the possibility of the Queen abdicating as ‘malicious nonsense’ (pictured in 2018)
