'The Crown' S05: Elizabeth Debicki shoots wearing Diana's 'revenge dress'
Earlier, a spokesperson for the acclaimed series, The Crown, had said the depiction of Princess Diana's controversial life may "ruffle a few feathers." And this ruffling seems to be in the works as actress Elizabeth Debicki, who will be portraying the Princess of Wales in the show's fifth and sixth seasons, was recently spotted shooting for the series wearing the late Royal's "revenge dress."
First, let's see what exactly was the famous "revenge dress." In 1994, crowd-favorite Princess Diana arrived at a Vanity Fair fundraiser for the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens wearing a black off-shoulder dress. Designed by Christina Stambolian, it was accessorized with a multi-layered pearl choker with a sapphire in the center. This central jewel was a gift to her from the Queen Mother, Elizabeth.
So, why the stamp? This was because, on the same night, ITV aired a documentary of her then-estranged husband Prince Charles. In this documentary, the Prince of Wales admitted to having an affair—with his now-wife Camilla—during his marriage to Diana. As per biographers, Diana was supposed to wear something completely different to the event but went for the "bold" dress at the last minute.
Now that we know Debicki is shooting for the Netflix show wearing a replica of the famous dress, we can expect the upcoming seasons to be quite explosive. As viewers of the series know, the fourth season ended with Diana and Charles struggling to hold on to their marriage. The next two seasons are thus expected to focus on their souring relationship and fallout.
The show's Season-4 portrayal of Diana suffering in a loveless marriage ushered in flak for Charles and Camilla, currently the Duchess of Cornwall. The backlash was so huge that UK Culture Secretary asked the streamer to add a disclaimer, noting the show was fictional. Netflix refused, arguing they had always presented The Crown as a drama, thus there was no need for a disclaimer.
