'The Crown' Season 5: The 10 Biggest Bombshells Inspired by the Royal Family's Turbulent '90s

Mar. 15, 2025

Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana.Photo: Netflix

The Crown’s latest chapter may also be the most explosive yet.

Read on for the top 10 can’t-miss moments from season 5 ofThe Crown.

Prince Philip Befriends Penelope Knatchbull

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While the two find camaraderie and a natural rapport,Queen Elizabeth(Imelda Staunton) is not immediately thrilled with her husband befriending an attractive woman 32 years his junior.

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Princess Diana Cooperates with Andrew Morton’s Book

Netflix

Princess Diana Meets the Al-Fayeds

Though the scene may have been fictional, Diana’s onscreen meeting with Mohamed Al-Fayed in episode three foreshadows a turning point. When the Queen decides not to sit with the owner of Harrod’s, the official sponsor of the Royal Windsor Horse Show, at the equestrian event, the Princess of Wales is sent in her stead.

Windsor Castle Goes Up in Flames

Staunton superbly channelsQueen Elizabeth’s despair after a fire ripped throughWindsor Castlein 1992 — one of a few devastating events that lead the sovereign to declare it an “annus horribilis” (Latin for “horrible year”).

In real life, the blaze began on Nov. 20 when a faulty spotlight set fire to a curtain in Queen Victoria’s chapel and quickly spread to the Brunswick Tower, St. George’s Hall and the surrounding private apartments. Five staffers suffered from smoke inhalation or other minor injuries,The New York Timesreported at the time.

Over 220 firemen worked for 15 hours to extinguish the flames, using 36 pumps to spray 1.5 million gallons of water. The blaze damaged 115 rooms in the castle, including nine official state rooms. It would take five years and $47.5 million to repair the damage.

In a bittersweet scene in season 5 ofThe Crown, a shocked Queen andPrince Philiphug within a charred St. George’s Hall, the sky exposed above.

Dominic West as Prince Charles and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana in season 5 of The Crown.Netflix

Prince Charles and Princess Diana Separate

“This decision has been reached amicably and they will both continue to participate fully in the upbringing of their children,” the premier said, according toThe New York Times.Notably, Major added that their split would have “no constitutional implications” and that the senior royals had “no plans to divorce,” perThe Washington Post.

Charles and Camilla’s Intimate Phone Call (now known as “Tampongate”)Hits the Papers

In January 1993, the transcript of an intercepted phone call betweenPrince CharlesandCamilla Parker Bowles(Olivia Williams) hit tabloids. During the intimate conversation, Charles tells Camilla that he wants to “live inside” her trousers and then jokes that he could be reincarnated as a tampon.The Crownrecreates the sensitive memory, which West spoke about toEntertainment Weeklybefore the episode aired.

“I remember thinking it was something so sordid and deeply, deeply embarrassing [at the time],” the 53-year-old actor told the outlet of his perception of the conversation at the time. “Looking back on it and having to play it, what you’re conscious of is that the blame was not with these two people, two lovers, who were having a private conversation. What’s really [clear now] is how invasive and disgusting was the press’s attention to it, that they printed it out verbatim and you could call a number and listen to the actual tape. I think it made me extremely sympathetic towards the two of them and what they’d gone through.”

Charles Admits to Having an Affair

In an interview with the presenter, Charles said that he was faithful to Diana “until became clear that the marriage had irretrievably broken.” He also confirmed the rekindling of his “friendship” with Camilla.

The “Revenge Dress”.Getty

Princess Diana Wears the “Revenge Dress”

Without saying a word, the Princess of Wales made headlines of her own on the June night that Charles' bombshell interview aired. Diana stepped out at the Serpentine Gallery in a fitted, black, off-the-shoulder dress with an asymmetrical hemline and chiffon train that flowed in the wind — a true style surprise for a member of the typically buttoned-up royal family.

Immediately christened the “revenge dress” and celebrated as one of her most iconic looks, Diana wanted the world to know she was moving on.

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Princess Diana Sits forPanoramaInterview

Princess Diana’s relationship with the royal family would never be the same after she gave asearing sit-downwithBBC1 Panoramain November 1995.Breaking away from the royal family’s practice of keeping a “stiff upper lip,” Diana spoke candidly with host Martin Bashir about the breakdown of her marriage, the pressures of marrying a future monarch and raising young sonsPrince WilliamandPrince Harry.

Episode 8 sees host Bashir and his crew sneak into Diana’s apartment at Kensington Palace for the controversial conversation, where she famously stated that there were “three of us in this marriage” and that she naively “married into a system,” not a family.

Prince Charles and Diana Finalize Their Divorce

In the penultimate episode of season 5,Prince Charlesand Princess Diana finalize their divorce amid estrangement and embarrassment on both sides. In a fictionalized scene, Charles and Diana sit down together to conduct an “autopsy” of their marriage and identify what went wrong.

“I never stood a chance,” Debicki said in character as Diana. “Neither did Camilla,” West, as Charles, replied.

“All anybody wanted was the fairytale of us,” he later mused.

source: people.com