In The Crown season four, Charles, played by Josh O’Connor, is shown to be openly resentful of Diana’s popularity during their tour of Australia together. Diana, played by Emma Corrin, goes to the Queen to ask for help with the situation. She tells her: “He resents me, resents the attention I get.”
When the Queen, played by Olivia Colman, asks her why that is, she says: “I don’t know. I was hoping you could tell me, he’s your son.”
However, the Queen takes offence and asks whether Diana is saying she has been “a terrible mother”.
She then suggests that Diana might be “enjoying [her] success rather too much”.
While The Crown is a TV drama, Charles’ jealousy over Diana’s popularity is reportedly based on fact.
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Prince Charles liked that Camilla was happy to “remain in the shadows” (Image: GETTY)
Emma Corrin as Princess Diana in The Crown (Image: Netflix)
According to the 2017 Channel 4 documentary ‘The Royal House of Windsor, he felt overshadowed by his glamorous wife.
In fact, the documentary even claimed that one of the reasons he liked Camilla is that she was the opposite of Diana in this way.
Camilla was “happy to remain in the shadows” rather than stealing the limelight, like his wife did.
The narrator said: “The problem was that when Charles created ripples, Diana caused a tsunami.
Emerald Fennell as Camilla in The Crown (Image: Netflix)
“He turned to his grandmother for support in his marital difficulties.
“He also turned to the woman Diana thought was the cause of their problems ‒ Camilla Parker Bowles, whom Charles had loved since he was 24.
“Like the Queen Mother, she gave him unconditional love.
“Unlike Diana, she was happy to remain in the shadows not stealing the limelight.”
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Prince Charles and Camilla married in 2005 (Image: GETTY)
This was backed up by the testimony of two experts in the subject.
Historian Dr Piers Brendon told the documentary: “Charles realised rapidly that [Diana] was doing this to upstage him and he resented it, having always himself in the past occupied the limelight.”
Biographer Christopher Wilson added: “Camilla saw life as Charles’ mistress as a bit of fun, something that would never be made public and would probably continue for as long as she was sexually active.
“I don’t think there was ever any ambition on her part to advance herself to become the wife of the Prince of Wales.”
Charles was not the only one who felt Diana was stealing all the attention either.
In The Crown season four, Princess Anne, played by Erin Doherty, is portrayed as being jealous of Diana.
She moans to the Queen how her gritty charity work is largely ignored, whereas Diana is all over the newspapers just for “putting on a frock”.
This element of the Netflix drama also reportedly reflects reality.
Harry Arnold, royal correspondent for , told the 2002 Channel 4 documentary ‘The Real Princess Anne’ that the Queen once complained to a colleague about this very thing.
She reportedly said: “I work hard every day. I’m never in the paper, no one ever thanks me. All she has to do is show up.”
Mr Arnold commented: “I think that sums up their relationship. Diana stole everyone’s limelight and Anne resented it.”
When Diana came onto the scene, the press certainly started to compare the two princesses in a way that was often unfavourable to Anne.
For example, Diana started doing charity work with the Red Cross and her warm, personable way of conducting engagements was a stark contrast to Anne’s stuff, business-like way with Save the Children.
The media started suggesting that Anne should take a leaf out of Diana’s book, which made her angry, because she was doing twice as many engagements as Diana each year.
