The Crown's Imelda Staunton hits back at criticism: 'We carried on with dignity after Queen's death'
ok.co.ukWith its intimate portrayal of the world’s most famous family, The Crown has been compulsive viewing across the globe since Claire Foy’s young Princess Elizabeth wed Matt Smith’s caddish Prince Philip in season one.
Now, the final instalment is about to broadcast, a year after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Imelda Staunton reprises her role as the late Queen and reveals the monarch’s death last year had an impact on everyone on the show. “Doing this last season did carry a lot of weight,” says the actress. “We started filming and then, very soon after, the Queen died, so it was quite difficult, to be honest. "We carried on with as much dignity and grace as always but, obviously, there was a very different temperature in the world, in England and even more so on The Crown.” This series will be split into two.
Part one picks up where season five left off in 1997. Its four episodes depict the romance between Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, including the days leading up to the fateful car crash in which she died, and which, says Elizabeth Debicki, were tough scenes to play. “It was heavy and very manic, and incredibly invasive,” says the actress, who plays Diana. “No-one should ever experience what it’s like to get these scenes in the daytime in Paris.To try and get from one place to another, and to have this swarm around you.
You feel very trapped. “I was seven when Diana passed. What I learnt about this, they’re pieces of our human history.That’s part of culture, part of our understanding of the media, obviously of the Royal Family.
Read more on ok.co.uk