Did Prince William blame his father for Dianas death?

The last episodes of The Crown have dropped and the final instalment of the royal drama is more dramatic than ever. Following the depiction of Princess Diana’s tragic death in Season Six: Part One, Part Two follows Prince William as he returns to Eton and attempts to cope with the loss of his mother.

In the midst of his grief, the teenager must also grapple with intense public scrutiny and his complicated feelings toward his father. For, in the series (FYI, this is your spoiler alert), Prince William blames his dad for Princess Diana’s death in an emotionally-charged showdown likely to shock viewers.

The dramatic scene, which comes early on in the first of the new episodes, follows rising tensions between the pair as the young royal struggles with 'Willsmania', aka the increased public attention he had to deal with during the aftermath of his mother’s death.

How does Prince William feel about his father in The Crown?

As The Crown depicts, mania soon started to follow the teenage Prince wherever he ventured during public appearances, with fans (often girls and young women) turning up in their droves trying to catch a glimpse of him. In the drama, the fans carry signs proclaiming their love for the heir to the throne or asking him to propose. Understandably, the attention is too much for the Prince, played by Ed McVey, who blames his father when public attention around public engagements during a family trip to Canada get out of hand.

"I hate it. Hate the press. Hate the crowds. Why did you tell us we're going somewhere alone then put us in front of the people we hate most in the world?" questions William, confronting Prince Charles, played by Dominic West.

Everything comes to a head when Prince William levels a number of serious allegations against his father (before they later reconcile at the end of the episode).

"She should never have been anywhere near the Fayeds. She should have been safe with us, and the fact that she wasn't is your fault," he claims in a heart-wrenching outburst. "No, you didn't actually drive the car but you drove her into the arms of those that did… by making her so unhappy. By loving someone else."

It's a difficult watch and also likely raises questions for viewers, specifically around Prince William’s feelings toward his father.

However, it's important to remember we can't know if the real-life Prince William really attributed any blame to his father – but what we do know is that both princes were left with unanswered questions in the aftermath of their mother's tragic death.

How did Prince William react to Princess Diana’s death?

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According to Harry's account in his autobiography Spare, the brothers wanted to ask for the investigation into their mother's death to be reopened but were dissuaded from doing so.

Elsewhere, both brothers condemned the press after an inquiry found "deceitful behaviour" was used to secure the Martin Bashir Panorama interview with Princess Diana.

"It is my view that the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said. The interview was a major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse and has since hurt countless others," Prince William said in a statement at the time.

He continued: "It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her.

"But what saddens me most, is that if the BBC had properly investigated the complaints and concerns first raised in 1995, my mother would have known that she had been deceived."

What has Prince William said about Princess Diana’s death?

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In the years since his mother’s death, Prince William has spoken candidly about his loss and the lasting impact it has had on him. William, who was 15 at the time of Diana’s death, says losing a parent is something that “never leaves you”.

Speaking in 2017, he told BBC One documentary, Mind Over Marathon: "I still have shock within me – people say it can't last that long but it does.”

"The shock is the biggest thing [which] I still feel 20 years later, about my mother," he explained. "You never get over it, it's such an unbelievably big moment in your life that it never leaves you. You just learn to deal with it."

It’s a sentiment he echoed when speaking to GQ in 2017, during an interview in which the Prince praised both Charles for his life's work, and Diana for the causes she championed during her too-short life.

Reflecting on his grief, William said: "I still find it difficult now because at the time it was so raw. And also it is not like most people's grief, because everyone else knows about it, everyone knows the story, everyone knows her. It is a different situation for most people who lose someone they love, it can be hidden away or they can choose if they want to share their story. I don't have that choice really. Everyone has seen it all."

It’s something worth remembering when viewing The Crown. Real people are at the heart of the story, even if a great number of details are fabricated (The Crown is a "fictional dramatisation" only "inspired by real events", as per the show's own disclaimer). So, while it is natural for viewers to have questions, there are some answers we’re not entitled to.

"These [William and Harry] are real people who suffered a hideous trauma as children, then had to deal with the fallout under the eyes of the world and here we are almost doing it to them again," as biographer, historian and broadcaster Sarah Gristwood points out.

Both of Diana's sons, now adults, can speak about their experiences as they see fit. However, there's only so much we can know about their feelings after their mother’s death, and perhaps, there's only so much we should know.

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