But the errors of omission seem to appear more frequently in Diana’s camp. Showrunner Peter Morgan takes a measured approach to his depiction of the princess, refusing to commit to either her side or Prince Charles’, and further refusing to allow The Crown to become The Diana Show. But denying Chris’ Colthurst even one additional appearance feels like a missed opportunity. I’m not unsympathetic to The Crown’s need to cover entire decades in the span of a few hours. Her friendship with Colthurst is one of them. And yet, a niggling sense of loss remains after the season 5 finale many of Diana’s most important moments and relationships are relegated to a handful of scenes. True, his scenes with Elizabeth Debicki’s Diana are hardly the finest acting work in a series stacked with high-caliber performances. In the latest season of the Netflix drama The Crown, Colthurst is depicted in only one episode by the actor Oliver Chris.

More importantly, they shared a confidence-one of the few in the late princess’s short life that was challenged but never outright betrayed. An old friend from her days as a blushing London socialite, Colthurst shared her stately pedigree as the second son of an Irish baronet, his family home was a literal castle. James Colthurst knew something most of the world as yet did not: The Princess of Wales was miserable. In the early days of Princess Diana’s marriage to the man who’d become king, Dr.

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