The Crown season 6 opens with shocking Princess Diana car crash scene
Part one of the Netflix show's final season is out now
What did you miss?
The Crown season 6 part one has landed on Netflix, and the series opens with a shocking scene depicting the car crash that killed Princess Diana.
Coming closer to the present day than ever, the last episodes chart Princess Diana's (Elizabeth Debicki) final moments and her death in Paris in 1997.
As the car crash is one of the big talking points of the season, the Netflix show chose to not skirt around the subject by depicting the shocking incident in season 6's opening moments.
It dramatises the crash in the opening episode by showing it through the point of view of a Frenchman walking his dog who witnesses the crash from the ground.
What, how, and why?
The Crown opens not with the Royal family but with an unnamed Parisian who is walking his dog on the night of 31 August 1997.
During his excursion the Parisian watches as Princess Diana's car speeds past him and then crashes in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel.
Having witnessed the moment, the Frenchman calls for an ambulance and says that he believes the crash looked dangerous and the people involved could have been badly hurt.
It is then that the show takes the story back to six weeks earlier and follows Princess Diana in her final days including her early connection with Dodi Fayed, who also died in the 1997 car crash.
Opening the season with the car crash came as a shock to some viewers, with one calling the scene "sick and twisted" on X, formerly known on Twitter.
The viewer wrote: "THE CROWN IS SOOOO SICK AND TWISTED FOR HAVING THE FIRST SCENE OF THE FINAL SEASON BE THE CRASH LIKE????"
Another viewer said of the scene: "The crown really opened the new season with the crash like damn."
Princess Diana's death shocked the world, her funeral was televised and watched by over 32 million people on 6 September, and her loss has continued to have an impact decades later.
What else happened on The Crown
The Crown season 6 focuses on significant moments in Princess Diana's life, such as her companionship with Fayed, her time with her children Prince William and Prince Harry.
Episodes also focus on King Charles III's engagement and marriage Queen Consort Camilla, and his quest to earn the approval of his mother Queen Elizabeth II of the relationship.
Other key moments in the season include Princess Diana's visit to Bosnia with Jerry White and Ken Rutherford for the Landmine Survivors Network. Her visit took place from 7 to 10 August, just days before her death, and saw her meet with landmine victims and bringing attention to the issue of hidden mines.
The Crown season 6 part one is available on Netflix now, part two premieres on Thursday, 14 December.
Read more:
The Crown, season 6, review: the show reaches a creative dead end with Diana's ghostly return (The Telegraph, 7-min read)
The Crown: Elizabeth Debicki says filming Diana car chase scene became 'super unpleasant' (Evening Standard, 2-min read)
Watch the trailer for The Crown: