The Crown star Elizabeth Debicki defends show following fierce backlash

Elizabeth Debicki, who plays Princess Diana in The Crown's new season, says the show is "clearly fictional". Photo / AP

Elizabeth Debicki says The Crown is “clearly fictional”.

The actress, 32, who plays Princess Diana in the Netflix show, defended it against criticism from figures including former British prime minister Sir John Major, who branded elements of the series a "barrel-load of nonsense", including its plotline in which a then-Prince Charles plots the Queen's abdication.

Dame Judi Dench also called for a "fiction" warning to be put on episodes after branding it an "inaccurate and hurtful account of history" – with Netflix now agreeing to put a disclaimer on the home page alerting viewers it is fictional, but not including it at the start of every episode.

Debicki told the Guardian: "I understand what the show is, and what it's trying to do. I also understand the reaction to it.

"I think this is a period of time that's been told many times over and will continue to be told, and I know the degree of care and respect people enter into these stories with.

"I mean, it is clearly fictional. I feel like audiences know that, because there are actors, playing parts. I never watched The Crown and thought, this is a documentary, or this is obviously true."

Debicki added she has lost the "line" between herself and Diana as she has been immersed in researching the royal for so long after being cast in 2020.

She said: "You know, I did something the other day on set and someone went, 'God, you're so like her!'

Debicki, seen here with Dominic West as Prince Charles, says she has lost the "line" between herself and Diana. Photo / AP

"And I went, 'I'm not even doing it anymore.'

"Where is the line? I've lost the line. But that's understandable, because I've been in this for a long time."

Debicki has recently been photographed filming controversial scenes of Diana's final night for The Crown.

The actress was seen in a grey suit and black top in Barcelona at the weekend – the same outfit worn by the royal hours before she was killed in a Paris tunnel car crash in 1997, aged 36.

She was also seen with Khalid Abdalla, 40, who plays Egyptian film producer Dodi Fayed, also killed in the smash along with his and Diana's driver Henri Paul.

Netflix has insisted the crash itself will not be shown in the series, with the streamer saying: “The exact moment of the crash impact will not be shown.”