Princess Diana's death 'will be recreated sensitively and delicately' in The Crown

Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki will portray Princess Diana in season six of the drama series. Credit: PA

The death of Diana, Princess of Wales, will be recreated delicately in season six of The Crown following a "very careful" and long conversation, an executive producer of the drama series has said.

Suzanne Mackie said it was important for the team behind the hit series to be “sensitive”.

Speaking as part of a panel at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, she told the Edinburgh TV Festival: “The show might be big and noisy, but we’re not. We’re thoughtful people and we’re sensitive people.

“And so there was a very, very careful, long, long, long conversation about how we do it – and I hope, you know, the audience will judge it in the end, but I think it’s been delicately, thoughtfully recreated."

Diana will be portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki, known for her work in The Great Gatsby and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 3. Debicki began portraying the late princess in season five of The Crown.

Ms Mackie credited Debicki as an “extraordinary actress”.

She said: “She was so thoughtful, considerate and loved Diana. So there was a huge amount of respect from us all. I hope that’s evident when you see it.”

Diana, the Princess of Wales, died in 1997.

Debicki was joined by Andy Harries, also an executive producer for The Crown.

Mr Harries was asked if the passing of the late Queen has impacted the show in any way.

He said: “I think that the passing of Her Majesty undoubtedly impacted on us all and [writer Peter Morgan] in particular.”

He added: “It didn’t change fundamentally, but it did change in a sense and when you see it I think you’ll know what I mean.”

Ms Mackie said writer Mr Morgan told her the show is a “love-letter to the Queen”.

She added: “I remember when she died, the news, and you can feel that it was bound to happen on that day. It was just an awful moment of when, and I couldn’t get a hold of [Mr Morgan] for hours.”

The Crown debuted in 2016 and has so far aired five successful seasons.

Season six will be the last and will air later this year on Netflix.

The final season is expected to show the premiership of Sir Tony Blair, and the early relationship between Prince William and Kate Middleton – now the Prince and Princess of Wales.

For the latest royal news, listen to our podcast...