The Crown star Emma Corrin has revealed she asked scriptwriters to add in graphic bulimia scenes to depict Princess Diana’s battle with the eating disorder.
Speaking to the Radio Times with Prince Charles actor Josh O’Connor, days before the premiere of series four, the actress, 24, said she wanted to include scenes of Diana vomiting to portray the eating disorder in an ‘honest way.’
Speaking of the scenes, which Emma developed with her movement coach, she said: ‘We’d been working on her body language and we put together a document that we sent to the script team and said: “Can you include some of this in the writing because we’d love to really flesh out those scenes?”
Candid: The Crown star Emma Corrin has revealed she asked scriptwriters to add in graphic bulimia scenes to depict Princess Diana’s battle with the eating disorder (above with Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles)
‘I felt that if we were trying to depict bulimia in an honest way, we had to actually show it – otherwise it’s a disservice to anyone who has been through that.
‘I don’t think we should shy away from those conversations; Diana was very candid about her experience with bulimia and I so admire that.’
Diana herself first revealed her battle with bulimia during her bombshell Panorama interview with Martin Bashir in 1995.
Emma said she related to pressure put on young women to be ‘thin and glamorous’ and that social media placed further importance on people to ‘be a certain way.’
The role of Princess Diana has given Emma time to contemplate life in ‘The Firm’ but she admitted she would ‘run a mile’ if any of the Royals proposed to her and that she ‘felt sorry for them’ in their ‘impossible situation’.
Struggle: The actress, 24, said she admired the late princess for speaking candidly about bulimia and wanted to include scenes of Diana vomiting in a new interview with the Radio Times
Important: Emma said: ‘I don’t think we should shy away from those conversations; Diana was very candid about her experience with bulimia and I so admire that’ (Diana is pictured in 1985)
Emma and Josh have seen their stars rise since landing the royal roles, with Emma praising Queen Elizabeth II actress Olivia Colman and Princess Margaret star Helena Bonham Carter for ‘protecting her.’
Emma will be replaced by Elizabeth Debicki for series five of the Crown with Dominic West rumoured to be taking on the role of Prince Charles.
The Crown will include a warning for viewers ahead of episodes that will feature Princess Diana’s battle with bulimia.
A spokesperson explained that series four will feature a disclaimer to inform viewers of the upcoming scenes that will depict the Princess’ struggles with the eating disorder.
The Crown’s much anticipated fourth series will introduced Diana and her entrance in the Royal Family after marrying Princes Charles in 1981, with newcomer Emma Corrin set to play the iconic role.
According to The Sun, the on-screen warning will feature in three of The Crown’s ten episodes in series four, which will depict the Royals from 1979 to 1990.
It is thought to read: ‘The following episode includes scenes of an eating disorder which some viewers may find troubling. Viewers discretion is required.’
Sources also claimed that viewers will see Diana’s struggle with bulimia as her marriage to Charles crumbles, after developing the disorder during their engagement.
A spokesperson for Netflix told the publication: ‘The Crown producers worked closely with the eating disorder charity, BEAT, to ensure that their portrayal of Princess Diana’s bulimia was both accurate to the disorder and sensitively handled.
‘When viewers watch the series on Netflix they will see warning cards at the beginning of the episodes giving details of how to seek help if required.’
MailOnline contacted representatives for The Crown for further comment at the time.
It’s thought that the troubling scenes will see Diana gorge on desserts before making herself sick after struggling with the loneliness of living in Buckingham Palace.
Emotional: Diana herself first revealed her battle with bulimia during her bombshell Panorama interview with Martin Bashir in 1995 (pictured L is Emma in the show, R, Diana in 1983)
Fairytale? The Crown’s fourth series will focus on the early romance and later marriage of Charles and Diana, after the Prince felt pressure by the Royal Family to find a wife
A later episode also sees Diana going through the same upsetting ordeal, after an argument with Charles (played by Josh O’ Connor) about her popularity following a Royal tour in Australia in 1983.
During her interview with Bashir in 1995, Diana said of her bulimia: ‘You inflict it upon yourself because your self-esteem is at a low ebb, and you don’t think you’re worthy or valuable.
‘You fill your stomach up four or five times a day – some do it more – and it gives you a feeling of comfort.
‘I was crying out for help, but giving the wrong signals, and people were using my bulimia as a coat on a hanger: they decided that was the problem – Diana was unstable.’
Diana and Charles separated in 1991 after 10 years of marriage, and divorced five years late. The Princess was then tragically killed in a car accident in 1997 aged 36.
Family: The Crown’s much anticipated fourth series will introduced Diana and her entrance in the Royal Family after marrying Princes Charles in 1981 (pictured in the show)
The Crown’s fourth series will focus on the early romance and later marriage of Charles and Diana, after the Prince felt pressure by the Royal Family to find a wife.
Prince Charles actor Josh, 29, told Radio Times he had been ‘fearful’ about returning for his second series as the royal due to the introduction of Diana and his desire not to play a ‘villain.’
The run-up to the couple’s 1981 is also depicted including the tensions behind the scenes at the wedding rehearsal.
Due to the COVID-19 lockdown shutting down production a week before filming was slated to end, the current cast did not get to film their final scenes or have a wrap party.
The Durrells actor Josh said he ‘watched documentaries and read articles’ on Charles to get the closure he needed and bid farewell to the role.
The latest trailer offered fans a glimpse of Charles’ infidelity with ex Camilla Parker-Bowles, who he famously went onto marry in 2005 after Diana’s death.
It will see dark times for the royals as they face yet more political and social upheaval with the election of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister.
The trailer is narrated with a recording of the actual speech given by the Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie during Charles and Diana’s wedding in 1981, when he famously said of their marriage: ‘Here is the stuff of which fairy tales are made.’
As tensions rise in the Royal Household, Princess Margaret faces a nasty health scare after being rushed into surgery to remove a ‘small part of her lung,’ caused by years of heavy smoking.
Charles and Diana then embark on a historic tour of Australia where they are greeted by thousands of well-wishers, though it seems the Prince is at odds with his father Prince Phillip (Tobias Menzies) about his marriage, given there is a moment of disagreement between the pair.
It’s been claimed that Phillip ordered Charles to propose to Diana as opposed to stringing her along for months on end, and the trailer does show a glimpse of the moment their engagement was announced in 1981.
While from the outset Charles and Diana’s relationship seems to be the perfect fairy tale, their relationship seems to crumble quickly as the trailer shows them arguing in the middle of a church.
Blushing bride: Fans have already been given a first look at Princess Diana’s wedding dress from the upcoming fourth series. Left is Emma in the homage and right Princess Diana on her wedding day
The Royal Family is once again hit by tragedy as they attend the funeral of Lord Mountbatten, after he was assassinated by a bomb hidden aboard his fishing boat in Mullaghmore, County Sligo, Ireland by members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army.
Coming soon: The full interview can be found in the latest issue of Radio Times
The preview then launches into a montage showing yet more drama besetting the Royal Family, including the Queen’s address to the World’s leaders, with Prime Minister Thatcher watching on, and Diana’s ongoing struggle to conform.
It ends with an image of the Princess clad in her beautiful David Emanuel wedding gown, beaming at the prospect of her impending nuptials as the veil is placed on her face.
On creating Diana, The Crown creator Peter Morgan said: ‘Diana now has a historical perspective. I am really conscious of that. I really don’t want to get too close so that what I do is journalistic.
‘I really want to make sure that there is enough distance so that if you tell the story of Diana it can almost be something else. It can have metaphorical resonance.
If you have been affected by this story you can call BEAT at 0808 801 0677.
The Crown series four is released on Netflix on Sunday, November 15th.
Return: Olivia Colman will return as Queen Elizabeth II for the acclaimed drama