Relatives and close friends of Henri Paul, Princess Diana's ill-fated chauffeur, have slammed Netflix for exploiting the tragic Paris car crash for the sake of "entertainment" in the hit royal drama series, The Crown. Images from the film set reveal a replica of the mangled Mercedes Benz car that carried Princess Diana to her untimely death.
The new season of The Crown will feature the devastating accident that occurred on August 31, 1997, in the Pont d'Alma tunnel, which claimed the lives of Princess Diana, Dodi Fayed, and Henri Paul. The portrayal has sparked outrage among those close to the former French Air Force pilot, who was blamed for the notorious car crash.
Netflix's decision to include the accident in the series comes after the streaming platform signed a $100 million deal with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which stirred up resentment from the Royal Family due to the treatment in last year's Harry and Meghan documentary series.
Alain Paul, Henri Paul's only surviving brother, and Claude Garrec, his best friend, accuse the filmmakers of exploiting the tragedy and "throwing him to the wolves." From his home in Lorient, France, Alain Paul told MailOnline, "I don't want to have to see the wreckage of a car that my brother died in over and over again. It's inhumane."
Alain Paul is also upset about not being informed about the show's plans to revisit the accident: "They didn't even have the decency to inform me about it. Every year it's the same. At the end of August, there is someone wanting to rake over the bones of the victims."
Claude Garrec, who denies that his friend was responsible for the crash, expressed his determination to watch the new season of The Crown to see how Henri Paul is portrayed. He said, "I will certainly watch the next series of The Crown to see how they treat Henri. But I can guess how they are going to portray him because Netflix has not bothered to contact the people who care about him."
