The Crown Season 6 Part 1 ending explained

❘ Published: 2023-11-17T17:01:51

Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana in The Crown Season 6

Netflix

Part 1 of The Crown Season 6 has finally arrived on Netflix – we’ve explained the ending of the latest chapter, including what happens to Princess Diana.

Netflix’s The Crown has taken us through significant moments in British royal modern history, starting with Queen Elizabeth’s early reign in the 1950s through to Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s tumultuous – and very public – marriage and subsequent divorce in the 1990s.

Season 6 is set to be the last, with the latest batch of episodes tackling a relationship that blossoms between Diana and Dodi Fayed before a fateful car journey has devastating consequences.

As fans get stuck in, here’s what happens at the end of The Crown Season 6 Part 1. Warning: Spoilers ahead!

The Crown Season 6 Part 1 ending explained

Season 6 Part 1 finishes on Episode 4, ‘Aftermath’ – and the ending is just that, as the royal family deal with the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death, and the increasing pressure placed on them as the public mourns for “the people’s princess.”

The fatal 1997 car crash – which also resulted in the death of Diana’s partner, movie producer, and Mohamed Al-Fayed’s son, Dodi – is depicted at the end of Episode 3. In ‘Aftermath’, we see the impact this has on the various figures in her life, including her young sons, Prince William, and Prince Harry.

Charles also struggles to cope with the loss, while having to convince his mom, Queen Elizabeth, to “mother the nation.” In real life, the Queen was criticized for acting detached and refusing to go to London in the days following Diana’s death.

The Crown shows Charles calling on her to give the mourning public “attention and love,” saying: “Diana gave people what they needed, even if it was just confirmation that great pain and sadness doesn’t discriminate. It comes to those with beauty and privilege too. And they adored her for it.”

Charles leaves her with those thoughts, and as she ponders what to do, the queen is visited by none other than Diana’s ghost. After accusing the late princess of starting a “revolution” as she points to the news showing crowds outside of Buckingham Palace, Diana’s apparition says: “It didn’t need to be.

“But by making an enemy of me, not of me personally but of what I stand for, then it starts to look like one.” She finishes by telling the queen: “For as long as anyone can remember, you’ve taught us what it means to be British. Maybe it’s time to show you’re ready to learn too.”

The episode draws to a close with the queen in London, finally making a speech in which she addresses Diana’s death to the British public. “First, I want to pay tribute to Diana myself. She was an exceptional and gifted human being. In good times and bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness,” she says.

“This week at Balmoral, we have all been trying to help William and Harry come to terms with the devastating loss that they and the rest of us have suffered. No one who knew Diana will ever forget her. Millions of others who never met her, but felt they knew her, will remember her.

“I for one believe that there are lessons to be drawn from her life and from the extraordinary and moving reaction to her death. I share in your determination to cherish her memory.”

The scene cuts to William, Harry, and Charles as they follow the carriage holding Diana’s coffin, and the boys see crowds of people in tears for their loss. Finally, the very end depicts the queen kneeling by her bed and praying.

The Crown Season 6 Part 1 is available on Netflix from November 16th. Catch up with more of our coverage below: