Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Aug 04, 2025

Queen's former employee on Diana scene in 'The Crown' that 'didn't happen'

Queen's former employee on Diana scene in 'The Crown' that 'didn't happen'

Former press secretary Dickie Arbiter has said it's wrong that aides discussed Diana's mental health before she went to New York.

A discussion of Diana’s mental health before she travelled to New York for a royal tour “didn’t happen” according to the Queen’s former press secretary.

Fans of The Crown have been able to binge the latest series after Netflix released all 10 episodes around the world on 15 November.

Season four charts the life and times of the Royal Family and key political events in the 1980s, with fans particularly keen on seeing the introduction of Margaret Thatcher and Lady Diana Spencer, later Diana, Princess of Wales.

In the final episode, royal aides gather to prepare to send Diana to New York for a solo royal tour.

Although she and Prince Charles are still together, she will be going on her own on the trip.

In the meeting, palace aides hint at Diana’s fragile mental health and her separation from her children, though her team insist she is in good health.


Diana Princess of Wales, played by Emma Corrin, in Netflix's The Crown.


But Dickie Arbiter, who worked for the Queen as her press secretary, poured cold water on the idea the aides would have discussed that.

He tweeted: “It didn’t happen. I was there.”

Arbiter also noted that Martin Chateris appears in the newest season, but that he retired in real life in 1977, so would not have been around.

It comes after Peter Morgan, the show’s creator and script writer, defended making up some elements of the drama.

He referred specifically to the opening episode as Lord Mountbatten, played by Charles Dance, gives Charles, played by Josh O’Connor, a telling off for pursuing Camilla, who at the time was married to Andrew Parker-Bowles.

The episode shows Mountbatten writing a letter to Charles, which the prince receives after Mountbatten’s untimely death as he is killed by an IRA bomb.

But there’s no record of the letter existing. Morgan said he believes the interaction is based in truth.


The Prince of Wales and Lord Mountbatten, in Nepal in 1975 at the coronation of King Birendra.


Speaking on the show’s official podcast, he said: “What we know is that Mountbatten was really responsible for taking Charles to one side at precisely this point and saying, ‘Look, you know, enough already with playing the field, it’s time you got married and it’s time you provided an heir’.

“As the heir I think there was some concern that he should settle down, marry the appropriate person and get on with it.”

He added: “In my own head I thought that would have even greater impact on Charles if it were to come post-mortem, as it were. I think everything that’s in that letter that Mountbatten writes to Charles is what I really believe, based on everything I’ve read and people I’ve spoken to, that represents his view.

“We will never know if it was put into a letter, and we will never know if Charles got that letter before or after Mountbatten’s death, but in this particular drama, this is how I decided to deal with it.”

The latest series of The Crown won rave reviews from critics but commentators and those who have worked with the Royal Family are less thrilled.

Royal photographer Arthur Edwards wrote in The Sun: “Charles and Diana did have very little in common.

“He preferred the countryside, while she was happier in Harrods.

“Some couples can overcome this but sadly they couldn’t.

“I do believe Charles when he says he did not rekindle the romance with ­Camilla Parker Bowles until his marriage to Diana had irretrievably broken down.

“I have known and worked with the Prince for 40 years and I don’t recognise the man portrayed in the new series of The Crown.”


Princess Diana at a Day Care Centre in the Lower East Side, New York in 1989.


Sally Bedell Smith, royal biographer, told Vanity Fair: “Because The Crown is such a lavish and expensive production, so beautifully acted and cleverly written, and so much attention has been paid to visual details about historical events, viewers are tricked into believing that what they are seeing actually happened.

“While the earlier seasons were period pieces, this is recent history, so it seems more cruel in its false depictions.”

The Crown season four is streaming now on Netflix.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
×