The second episode of The Crown season 6 centres around two famous photographs.
The first four episodes of The Crown season 6 are now available to stream on Netflix, charting the final days of Princess Diana before her death in a car crash on 31st August 1997.
The second of the episodes, titled Two Photographs, charts the taking of two pictures in August – one of Diana and Dodi Fayed kissing, which was published in The Sunday Mirror, and a photoshoot of Princes Charles, William and Harry, which in the episode is staged to prove a contrast with the photo of Diana.
But just when were these photos taken and was everything as presented in the episode?
Read on for everything you need to know about the photos taken of Diana and Dodi and Charles’s Balmoral photoshoot with William and Harry.
When were the photos of Diana and Dodi taken?
On 10th August 1997, pictures of Diana and Dodi kissing were published in The Sunday Mirror, with one published on the front cover alongside the headline: “The Kiss.”
The photos were taken by Italian photographer Mario Brenna and were reportedly sold for £1 million. They showed Diana lounging on the deck of the yacht with Dodi and kissing him.
Underneath the headline, the front cover of The Sunday Mirror read: “Now Dodi flies off to buy an engagement ring for Diana.”
After having first met at a polo tournament, Diana and Dodi had first reconnected in mid-July 1997 in St Tropez, when she was staying at his father’s villa.
They were pictured together at the time, swimming in the ocean along with William and Harry.
When was the Balmoral photoshoot of Charles, William and Harry set up?
Also in August 1997, the same month as the photos of Diana and Dodi were published in The Sunday Mirror, photos were taken of Prince Charles at Polvier, by the River Dee in the Balmoral Estate, alongside Princes William and Harry.
Charles was wearing a kilt and sporran and was holding a shepherd’s crook walking stick, and the family had two dogs with them – Prince William’s Labrador Widgeon and Prince Charles’s Jack Russell Tigga.
As in The Crown, the images show William skimming stones in the river as his father and brother watch on. We don’t know for certain, as is suggested in the episode, that this image was purposefully captured to contrast those published of Diana.
The trio also took similar photos on 16th August, with Charles once again dressed in a kilt – but this time in a green jumper.
One of these photos was posted to The Royal Family’s official account on Twitter, which has recently been rebranded as X, on Father’s Day this year, alongside the caption: “To Dads everywhere, we wish you a very special Father’s Day today.”
The Crown season 6 part 1 is streaming on Netflix from Thursday 16th November 2023. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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