The death of Elizabeth II has caused commotion around the world. She was, along with the Pope, the most popular person in the world, and the celebrity who had held that status for the longest time. Beloved even by avowed republicans, who recognized her intelligence. But this week, barely hours after the monarch had met the new British prime minister, there was tragic news from Balmoral castle. Those following the developments from the city of Barcelona were then left stunned by another coincidence of timing. Radio station Cadena SER reported that on the very same day, in the centre of the Catalan capital, the Netflix series 'The Crown' was preparing to shoot its recreation of the scene where the queen's daughter-in-law, Diana Spencer, dies in an car accident in Paris. The photos, taken at the shoot at the Jardinets de Gràcia, where Avinguda Diagonal meets Passeig de Gràcia, leave an impact. News kiosks redecorated with posters in French.
Exclusiva de @SERCatalunya: avui s'anava a rodar una escena de The Crown, la sèrie de Netflix, als Jardinets de Gràcia. Concretament, laort de Lady Di. S'ha suspès per la mort d'Idabel II. Hi ha a hores d'ara operaris vigilant els decorats. Ho exiquem ara a l'@AquiCatalunya! pic.twitter.com/IK8ogbOhml
— Oriol Soler Pablo (@uri__soler) September 9, 2022
L'escena era la mort de Lady Di, cosa que no deixa de ser paradoxal: va ser el sotrac més gran del regnat d'Isabel II. Es recrea París, ciutat on va morir Diana. Per això els decorats estan en francès. pic.twitter.com/2x1UA1ONkp
— Oriol Soler Pablo (@uri__soler) September 9, 2022
The program Aquí Catalunya on SER Catalunya, announced: "Today, a scene from 'The Crown', the Netflix series, was to be shot at the Jardinets de Gràcia. Specifically, the death of Lady Diana. It has been suspended because of the death of Elizabeth II. There are now employees guarding the sets. The scene was the death of Diana Spencer, which is paradoxical: the greatest shock of the reign of Elizabeth II. The shoot recreates Paris, the city in which Diana died. That's why the advertising is in French." The images are by SER Catalunya's Oriol Soler:
Thus, in Barcelona, the death of Lady Diana was being filmed on the day Elizabeth II died.
'The Crown' suspends shooting
After the death this Thursday of Elizabeth II, the series "The Crown", based on the life of the British monarch, has temporarily suspended the filming of its sixth season "out of respect". "'The Crown' is a love letter to her and I have nothing to add for now, just silence and respect. I hope we also stop filming for a while out of respect," said series executive producer Peter Morgan, in a short statement. This series, based on historical events, is a dramatization of the Queen's life and the political and personal events that defined her 70-year reign. The Netflix platform has the rights to this series, whose first season was released 6 years ago, has won 21 Emmy awards and whose latest installment, scheduled for a November release, is to bring the story of the British monarch into the 21st century.
Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton, who takes on the role in the sixth season, are the actresses who have played Elizabeth II in "The Crown".
Netflix has contemplated the possibility of the death of Queen Elizabeth ever since the launch of this production in 2016, when, on the occasion of the premiere, Stephen Daldry, director of several episodes of the series, assured that they would pay her "tribute". "None of us know when that moment will come, but it would be right and proper to show respect to the Queen. It would be a simple tribute and a show of respect. She is a world figure and that is what we should do," Daldry said.