‘The Crown’: Depicting Graphic Aftermath of Princess Diana’s Crash Could Jeopardize Netflix Partnership with Prince Harry, Says PR Expert

Prince Harry had to generate income upon exiting his role as a senior royal family member in 2020. He signed a deal with Netflix for programming alongside his wife Meghan Markle for five years at a reported $100M. However, could season 6 of Netflix’s The Crown and its graphic depiction of the aftermath of Harry’s mother, Princess Diana‘s death, end the Duke of Sussex’s partnership with the streaming giant? A PR expert weighs in.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are tied to Netflix through 2025

Forbes reports Prince Harry and Meghan Markle signed a five-year contract with Netflix in Sept. 2020. Therefore, they are connected to working with the streaming service through 2025.

The couple is set to produce documentaries, docuseries, feature films, scripted shows, and children’s programming for the streaming service. Thus far, they have produced Harry & Meghan, a docuseries that became the channel’s biggest documentary debut.

Before their docuseries, Harry and Meghan produced Live to Lead. It featured interviews with world leaders and celebrities, including Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Gloria Steinem. Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Productions will release another Netflix series, Heart of Invictus, in 2023.

Netflix is also home to the mega-hit, The Crown, which tells the royal family’s story. However, as the series inches closer to depicting the aftermath of Princess Diana’s untimely death, will this end Harry and Meghan’s partnership with the streaming giant? A PR expert weighs in on the subject.

Will Prince Harry remain with Netflix after ‘The Crown’s’ graphic depiction of the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death?

Netflix sounds ‘death knell’ with Harry after showing replica of Diana’s mangled Mercedeshttps://t.co/4S4U8911yX

— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) March 20, 2023

Prince Harry’s Netflix partnership could be in jeopardy as the streaming giant recreates the graphic aftermath of the 1997 crash that took his mother’s life. New images emerged from the set of The Crown showing a mangled replica of the Mercedes automobile that carried Diana, Dodi al Fayed, Henri Paul, and Trevor Rees-Jones, the only survivor of the crash.

PR expert Jordan James weighed in on whether or not Prince Harry’s relationship with Netflix could survive. “The recent images of Netflix’s recreation of Princess Diana’s crashed Mercedes have sent shockwaves across the world,” said James, Head of Key holders at Unlockd PR, to Express.

“While we expected the show to touch on and depict the event, this level of detail borders on the macabre. It may signal a death knell to the media giant’s close relationship with Prince Harry,” suggested James.

He continued, “The Sussexes have known about The Crown‘s propensity not to sugarcoat any rumored royal drama. I believe this could be one step too far from Netflix.”

Netflix promised the actual moment of the crash would not be shown

In a statement to The Sun, Netflix said the crash’s moment of impact that killed Diana would be excluded from the series. “The exact moment of the crash impact will not be shown,” the streaming service said.

A production source previously told Deadline that the show’s sixth season would feature before and after the crash. “It’s the run-up. The car left The Ritz after midnight with paparazzi in pursuit. Then the aftermath with the British Ambassador to France swinging into action with the Foreign Office. And the subsequent constitutional aftermath,” the source told the outlet.

PR expert Jordan James claimed that Netflix is “playing a risky game” with the Duke of Sussex. “Given that the premise of Harry and Meghan is to share their complex relationship with the royal family and the media, Netflix is playing a risky game by adding so much detail to Diana’s tragic end.”

He continued, “Especially given the controversy around the media coverage at the time that showed the Princess little respect even in her final moments.”

The sixth season of Netflix’s The Crown is currently in production. It reportedly will air in late 2023.