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Prince Harry and Prince William have bigger roles this season in the latest episodes of The Crown, and their fictional depictions have been compared to real life in a viral TikTok video.
In the new episodes, the boys are seen in the last years of Princess Diana's life. King Charles III is played by Dominic West, while William is played by the actor's real-life son Senan West. Harry is played by Will Powell.
A TikTok user has demonstrated just how close to reality the show's dramatization has become, by placing episode footage alongside video from the annals of royal history.
User @baciudarius wrote that "they did such a great choice on Princess Diana," referring to Elizabeth Debicki's performance as William and Harry's mother.
@baciudarius They did such a great choice on Princess Diana? #thecrown #netflix #queenelizabeth #elizabeth #princessdiana #ladydiana #diana #dianaspencer #kingcharles #princeharry #meghanmarkle #princewilliam #katemiddleton #camilla #camillaparkerbowles #princessanne #princessmargaret #royalfamily #british #movie #film #fy #fyp #fypシ #fypage #foryou #foryoupage #foryourpage #viral #tiktok ♬ original sound - Darius
The cited moment comes from William's first day at Eton College, on September 6, 1995, when he was photographed alongside Harry and his parents at the boarding school in Berkshire. In real life, the decision to send William to Eton, a short distance from Windsor Castle, was controversial because of fears of press intrusion.
The day before the term started, The Baltimore Sun said, "In placing William at Eton, the royal family has not just thrust him into the incubator of the English establishment, it has put him in a town of 3,600 that teems with tourists year-round.
"Double-decker tour buses rumble by William's new home," the story went on. "Each school day, he will have to cross a street where he can be intercepted by photographers. Even behind closed doors he can suffer unwanted intrusion.
"Newspapers reportedly have been contacted by students willing to act as 'moles' and report on the doings of the boy who might one day be king," the Sun said.
Quoted in the newspaper in 1995, Lord Wakeham, then chairman of a now-defunct newspaper regulator, the Press Complaints Commission, said, "He is not an institution, nor a soap star nor a football hero. He is a child. Of course, in one important respect he is different from other children."
A passage from the article may sound familiar to fans of The Crown, as it closely echoes a conversation Senan West's William is shown having with Queen Elizabeth II, played by Imelda Staunton, about the unusual language used at the school.
The Sun story said, "Here, school terms are 'halves'; teachers are 'beaks.' Graduates become 'old Etonians,' whether they are 99 or 19. To the Manor enrolled."
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more