While Netflix's The Crown is considered fiction, one source close to the royal family—Princess Diana's former butler Paul Burrell—tells The Sun that some of the events depicted, specifically in regard to Diana and Charles, are "pretty close to the truth." Interestingly, the royal family gave not only a "no" but a "firm no" when it came to fact-checking the events of the show.
Burrell weighed in on how the Netflix drama portrayed Prince Charles and Princess Diana's relationship, and how the ever-so-wonderful Josh O'Connor got Charles' right. In an interview with The Sun, Burrell said, "Josh O'Connor plays Prince Charles as a rather uncaring, cold person. And I'm afraid that's what I saw behind closed doors." Burrell continued saying: "He was married to probably the most beautiful woman in the world. But he didn't look after her, and that's what comes across in The Crown."
Burrell worked alongside Diana for ten years and has commented numerous times on the late People's Princess. He told The Sun he believes the rift goes back to Princess Diana's sudden rise in popularity. "You're seeing an unknown young girl rise while Charles's star doesn't and her popularity becomes greater than his," said Burrell. "And that's the whole problem."
Burrell added: "Diana said to me, 'I thought when I got married that my husband would be there for me, to care for me, to support me, to encourage me, but he isn't.'" And to skeptics who doubt the accuracy, Burrell says: "People that jump up and say, 'Well, that's not factual', well, that's pretty close to the truth."
Related Stories
Stay In The Know
Marie Claire email subscribers get intel on fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more. Sign up here.
Bianca Rodriguez is the Fashion & Luxury Commerce Manager at Hearst Magazines, covering fashion, beauty, and more for Cosmopolitan, Elle, Esquire, Harper’s BAZAAR, and Town & Country. She likes lounging about with a good book and thinks a closet without platform sneakers is a travesty.
-
Princess Diana’s Brother Earl Charles Spencer Speaks Out on the Kate Middleton Drama: “I Do Worry About What Happened to the Truth”
He also weighed in on whether the media frenzy was worse in the 1990s with Diana or in the present day with Kate.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Both Kim Kardashian and Blake Lively Appeared to Spoof the Kate Middleton Photoshop Scandal Over the Weekend
Yep, they went there.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Can Reformation Join You on Vacation?
The label is re-entering the swimwear chat just in time for summer.
By Halie LeSavage Published
-
British Royal Lady Gabriella Windsor's Husband Has Died at 45
Lady Gabriella is King Charles' second cousin.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Dominic West Says He Got in Bed and Didn’t Leave for Two Days After Reading Reviews of ‘The Crown’
Much like the character of Prince Charles that he portrays, West is “a sensitive soul.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
If You Want One of 450 Items from the Set of ‘The Crown,’ Now’s Your Chance to Claim It
A replica of Princess Diana’s revenge dress? Could be yours. How about your very own Gold State Coach? Up for grabs, too.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
The Crown's 2 Princess Dianas Hung Out on the Red Carpet in a Multiverse Moment
Emma Corrin and Elizabeth Debicki are besties!
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Dominic West of ‘The Crown’ Forbade His Son from Reprising His Role as Prince William in Season Six for One Heartbreakingly Poignant Reason
“It was unfair of me, because he did want to do it.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
‘The Crown’ Never Intended to Take Its Storyline to the Present Day for This Reason
The sixth and final season will cut off in 2005.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Elizabeth Debicki is Fully Aware of the “Immense Responsibility” of Portraying Princess Diana on “The Crown”
Season six finally premieres this Thursday.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
George, Charlotte and Louis Will Be Laden With Gifts as Prince William Returns From New York
He was handed so many souvenirs for the little ones.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published