‘Harry should not have to watch his mother die again’

It sounds like the worst kind of joke. But the next series of The Crown looks set – quite literally – to become car crash television. The kind of drama to watch through splayed fingers as we rubberneck unfolding events.And as car crash television goes, the “fictionalised” dramatisation of Queen Elizabeth II`s reign, is literally taking unvarnished storylines right down to the wire. With a ghoulish re-invention of the terrible events of that December night 25-years-ago, when Princess Diana lost her life in a bleak road tunnel in the centre of Paris.Certainly, pictures from the filming of that night looked horribly realistic. From Diana, crisp and chic in her tailored suit and obligatory shades as she leaves the Ritz for what would be her final journey. To the replica black Mercedes –  her angel of death. Is this macabre sideshow really entertainment?Netflix has previously insisted that the “exact moment” of the crash will not feature in the sixth series of the hit drama, due to start on November 9.For this relief much thanks. But shouldn’t this entire “moment” in the history of the Royals have been ring-fenced – perhaps referred to off-stage, as it was in the Oscar-winning drama The Queen starring Helen Mirren?Not least the anguished moment when Diana`s two young sons were compelled to walk behind their mother’s coffin –  an unforgivable act which turned their palpable horror and grief into a freakish sideshow, which then turned the planet into global net curtain twitchers.And it’s to the two boys – now men – that due consideration should have been given when producers of The Crown were plotting the story arc of the latest series. ‘As we feast on the drama, let`s say a prayer for those two bereft boys’ (Image: Handout/PA)Hands up – like many, I have greedily absorbed the colour, pageantry and “fictionalised” drama of the preceding seasons. The reimaging of what takes place behind palace walls, from lavish sets to thrifty Tupperware boxes of cereal at breakfast time, is mesmerising.But Diana`s death is different. This is near history – an event whose impact, in my view, continues to play out in every reckless move her clearly damaged younger son makes. Grief, anger, loss and outrage have for years framed his situation and ruled his lot.Sure, we could be tough and argue that if you can`t take it then don’t dish it out. After all, Harry hasn’t held back in trashing the Royals during his reign as Count of Montecito. And with news that his tell-all memoir is to be published in January – for which, kerching!, he received a £17.5 million advance  – the Duke of Sussex isn`t beyond trousering cash from his royal heritage.And yet. It still feels wrong to put Harry and William through this.What happened to Diana back in December 1997 was a seismic moment in our near history – the tragic snuffing out of a young woman`s life.One whose real life had itself evolved into a soap opera. The hapless virgin who married a man who loved another woman – from which sprouted the very source of her unhappiness. As part of our history, we cannot simply airbrush this all away.But The Crown, by its very nature, is drama – it doesn’t promise to be historical truth. Rather it curates moments from the reign of our late Queen homing in on emotional incidents which offer the greatest impact. Even so, do we really need the grizzly real-time telling of a young mother`s death?So should we watch? That`s a personal choice. Now that filming is in the can, it`s unlikely Netflix will leave much on the cutting room floor.But like all car crash television, as we feast on the drama, let`s say a prayer for those two bereft boys.Not least Harry. Who is paid well by Netflix for his ‘truth’. But who, as The Crown will show, has also suffered an incalculable loss.