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TL;DR: 

  • Season 5 of The Crown depicts the breakdown of King Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage in the ’90s.
  • Commentator says The Crown has the potential to make Prince William and Prince Harry “feel closer” or “less close.”
  • Prince Harry may respond to The Crown Season 5 in his own way. 
Prince William and Prince Harry, whose relationship 'will definitely' change because of 'The Crown' Season 5, according to a commentator, walk side by side wearing suits
Prince William and Prince Harry | Kirsty O’Connor/PA Wire

The Crown Season 5 is here. With the arrival of the Netflix original series’ latest installment about Queen Elizabeth II’s reign comes a possible shake-up in the royal family. A royal commentator says The Crown Season 5 may change Prince William and Prince Harry’s relationship. 

‘The Crown’ Season 5 depicts the breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage

King Charles III and Princess Diana are central to The Crown Season 5. The series depicts the breakdown of their marriage in the early 1990s to their eventual divorce in 1996 and Diana’s 1997 death. 

There are scenes involving famous interviews, most memorably Diana’s 1995 sit-down for BBC Panorama. Other royal family moments that marked the decade are interwoven throughout: the Windsor Castle fire, the queen’s “annus horribilis,” Sarah Ferguson’s toe-sucking photos, Princess Diana’s “revenge” dress, the discovery of Andrew Morton’s secret tapes of Diana, and more.

Meanwhile, younger versions of the Prince of Wales, 40, and the Duke of Sussex, 38, make occasional appearances. They are played by Teddy Hawley and Will Powell, followed later by Timothee Sambor and Senan West.

How ‘The Crown’ Season 5 shows William and Harry’s childhood ‘difficulties’ could affect their relationship, says commentator

It’s “inevitable” The Crown Season 5 will alter William and Harry’s relationship, according to commentator Jonathan Sacerdoti. 

“The Crown will touch much more on their life and the things that affected them, so I think it’s inevitable there will be an increased interest in their lives and their history,” Sacerdoti told the U.K.’s Express. “It could make them feel closer or it could make them feel less close.”

Sacerdoti continued, saying The Crown’s retelling of the past, particularly childhood tribulations punctuated by their parents’ split, will probably change the current dynamic between William and Harry. 

“I think that any resurgence of interests in their childhood stories and the difficulties and tragedies that were part of it will definitely be the sort of thing that can make their relationship change,” he said. 

'The Crown' Season 5 depicts Prince William and Prince Harry, seen here wearing suits and looking over their shoulders in 1994.
Prince William and Prince Harry | Martin Keene – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images
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Prince Harry is likely to respond to ‘The Crown’ Season 5 in his own way, commentator explains

While William and Harry haven’t publicly remarked on The Crown Season 5, Sacerdoti thinks Harry will comment on it in his own way — specifically, through his and Meghan Markle’s upcoming Netflix docuseries. 

“Harry obviously feels very bitter about how his life story has been told,” Sacerdoti said. “So given that is the case they maybe feel their approach of having their own story is enough of a response to fiction about that. 

“They maybe feel that’s their way of setting the story straight,” he concluded. 

Meanwhile, William’s already shared his feelings on one event recreated in The Crown Season 5. He delivered a statement outside Kensington Palace in 2021 remarking on the findings of an investigation into Diana’s BBC Panorama interview, calling for it never to be aired again. 

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