The Netflix trailer, released on Thursday, is accompanied by a message describing how it is “inspired by real events” but a “fictional dramatisation”.
In two-and-a-half minutes, it shows Diana at “breaking point”, described as a “threat” who “opens her mouth and hand grenades come out”.
The royal family as a whole is depicted in “genuine crisis”, with the screen version of then-prime minister Sir John Major warning their breakdown “affects the stability of the country”.
Elizabeth Debicki as Diana, Princess of Wales in The Crown season five trailer. Photo / Netflix
In scenes broadcast weeks after her death, the late Queen is shown at loggerheads with her son the Prince of Wales over who is doing more damage to the monarchy.
“For years I’ve called for a more modern monarchy,” Prince Charles, played by Dominic West, is shown to say, in an episode in which he petitions Major to help him overthrow his mother to take over as king.
Over clips of the actors playing Charles and Camilla, the Queen, played by Imelda Staunton, retorts: “I don’t think it’s my behaviour that’s threatening its survival.”
Criticism over decision to carry on with series
The makers of the show have already been widely criticised for the decision to plough on with the series, which is set in the 1990s as the Royal family suffers crises including the breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage.
It will tell how the late Princess cooperated with a biography telling her side of events, and a television interview with Martin Bashir.
The latter has been the subject of a recent inquiry which confirmed she had been convinced to do the BBC interview in a “deceitful” manner.
Prince William has asked that it “never be aired again”, arguing it now holds no legitimacy and had established a false narrative commercialised by the BBC and others for more than 25 years.
In particular, he said, it brought him “indescribable sadness” to know how it had contributed to the “fear, paranoia and isolation” his mother felt in the final years of her life.
The Crown trailer shows Bashir on screen, talking about how Diana, played by Elizabeth Debicki, is “at breaking point because of the way she feels she’s been treated”.
Played by Prasanna Puwanarajah, he says: “She opens her mouth and hand grenade come out. She wants to tear down the temple.”
One scene from The Crown series five trailer shows the late Princess sitting down with Bashir for the 1995 Panorama interview. Photo / Netflix
One scene shows the late Princess sitting down with Bashir for the 1995 interview saying: “I won’t go quietly, I’ll battle to the end”.
As scenes show the increased media attention surrounding the relationship, a voiceover says: “The house of Windsor should be binding the nation together, setting an example of idealised family life. It’s a situation which can’t help but affect the stability of the country.”
The flourishing relationship between Charles and Camilla, played by Olivia Williams, is also reflected with the pair sharing intimate moments together.
As the spotlight intensifies on Diana, the character can be heard saying: “People will never understand how it’s been for me. I never stood a chance.”
Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker-Bowles and Dominic West as Prince Charles in The Crown season five. Photo / Netflix
The princess can be seen struggling emotionally and later wearing her famous “revenge dress” – a figure-hugging, low-cut, off-the-shoulder black silk gown.
A scene shows her slamming on the brakes of her car, in a prelude to the Paris car crash that would later kill her.
Major, played by Jonny Lee Miller, described scenes which reportedly depict the King, then the Prince of Wales, plotting to oust the Queen, as “malicious nonsense”.
A spokesman for Netflix has insisted the streaming service makes clear that The Crown is a fictionalised drama in press materials, cast and crew interviews, on social media, and when viewers tune into The Crown’s landing page on service.
The new trailer, posted on YouTube, is introduced as: “Inspired by real events, this fictional dramatisation tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign.”
