Princes William and Harry will be ‘very upset and angry’ over controversial new documentary series which is set to claim Princess Diana tried to kill herself four times
Princes William and Harry are set to be ‘very upset and angry’ over a controversial new documentary which will claim that Princess Diana tried to kill herself four times
According to The Sun, a four-part series provisionally called ‘Being Me: Diana’ will delve into the mental torment the late royal suffered – from battling eating disorders to her unhappy marriage to Prince Charles and painful childhood.
It will use unseen footage from Diana’s speeches filmed before the Princess of Wales’ death in 1997, as well as interviews with people who were close to her to shed light on her inner turmoil shortly before her split from Charles in 1992.
The series is being made by TV company DSP, which was behind 127 Hours and ITV’s Torvill And Dean. The project is planned for Netflix but has not yet been commissioned.
It’s set to be particularly upsetting for Harry, who worked with the streaming service on a Thomas The Tank Engine 75th anniversary special after he and Meghan Markle stepped down as senior royals earlier this year.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are also believed to be in talks with Netflix about other future projects.
A TV source told the publication that The Firm will refuse to take part in the documentary series, as will the Spencer family.
William and Harry will be very upset and angry’, they added. ‘It’s particularly distressing for Harry because he’s been working with Netflix.
‘At a time when the royals have been dealt a blow with Harry and Meghan leaving, the timing is not good.’
A spokeswoman for Endemol Shine, the parent company for DSP, told The Sun: ‘This is a not a commissioned show and everything within the treatment is already in the public domain.’
Charles and Diana tied the knot at St Paul’s Cathedral in front of 2,000 people on July 29, 1981.
In 1992, Prime Minster John Major announced the couple were to separate, but continue living together at Kensington Palace.
They divorced in 1996 and a year later Diana died in a car crash in Paris. In 2005 Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles at Windsor Guildhall.
In video footage released late last month, the Duke of Sussex introduced a new program for Netflix called ‘Thomas and Friends: The Royal Engine’, which features his father and grandmother, Prince Charles and the Queen, as animated characters.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman confirmed the project had been in the pipeline for a ‘long time’ and added that ‘everybody was aware’ of it before it aired, including the Queen.
The episode was recorded before Harry and wife Meghan quit as senior royals and moved to America.
Proceeds from the anniversary edition, which aired in the US one day before the UK, are being donated to environment and sustainability projects under Harry’s Travalyst project.
n his introduction, Prince Harry is seen sitting in an armchair, reading from a book about the train’s adventures.
The 35-year-old, who is now living in Los Angeles, said: ‘Thomas the Tank Engine has been a comforting, familiar face to so many families over the last 75 years – entertaining, educating and inspiring children on important issues through exciting stories and characters.
‘I certainly have fond memories of growing up with Thomas & Friends and being transported to new places through his adventures.
I am very proud to have been asked to take part in this special episode. I wish Thomas and Friends a very happy anniversary.’
Meghan has carried out similar work in the wake of seeking financial independence and moving to the US, narrating the Disney+ documentary Elephant which started streaming on April 3, three days after she and Harry officially quit royal life. She too donated proceeds from the project to charity.