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The Crown: Priest who performed last rites on Princess Diana criticises 'voyeuristic' show

The Crown S5 (Netflix)
Elizabeth Debicki stars as Princess Diana in season five of The Crown. (Netflix)

The priest who performed the last rites on Princess Diana following her fatal car crash in Paris has criticised Netflix for dramatising the event in The Crown.

Father Yves-Marie Clochard-Bossuet has branded the show "crass and unnecessary" for deciding to depict the August 1997 tragedy.

The sixth and final season of the Royal Family drama is currently filming scenes surrounding the car accident that killed Diana, her partner Dodi Fayed, and driver Henri Paul. This has included shooting scenes around the Parisian tunnel where the crash took place.

While The Crown production team has insisted the series will only cover "the lead-up and the aftermath, not feature the crash itself", the decision to film nearby the site of the collision has been met with criticism.

The Crown S5 (Netflix)
Debicki with actor Dominic West, who stars as Prince Charles in The Crown. (Netflix)

Father Clochard-Bossuet told the Mail On Sunday: "Netflix are being voyeuristic.

"Their filming is commercially driven, and they are simply interested in attracting as many viewers as possible."

Read more: Why the Royal Family is so worried about the new season of The Crown

He added: "There is no need to recreate the events of that night. This is because Diana has children, she has a brother and sisters, and it affects the feelings of her entire family. They will all be hurt by the reconstruction of this accident.

"We all know the facts of what happened – it is all very clear, so there is no need to produce new images of this terrible event."

Princess Diana was killed in a 1997 car crash that also claimed the lives of her partner Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul. (PA)
Princess Diana was killed in a 1997 car crash that also claimed the lives of her partner Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul. (PA)

The comments are the latest in a string of complaints around the series.

Earlier this month, Netflix buckled to demands from the likes of Dame Judi Dench to include a disclaimer explaining the series is a work of fiction.

Read more: Clarence House 'concerned' Diana storyline will impact Charles's popularity

In an open letter calling for the change, Dame Judi wrote: "While many will recognise The Crown for the brilliant but fictionalised account of events that it is, I fear that a significant number of viewers, particularly overseas, may take its version of history as being wholly true.

"This is both cruelly unjust to the individuals and damaging to the institution they represent," she added. "No one is a greater believer in artistic freedom than I, but this cannot go unchallenged."

The Crown S5 (Netflix)
West and Debicki as Charles and Diana in the new season of The Crown. (Netflix)

The fears were further cemented by former prime minister John Major, who is due to be depicted in the upcoming season five by Jonny Lee Miller.

Read more: The Crown casts Prince Charles actor Dominic West's real-life son as William

In upcoming scenes, Major is seen discussing with Prince Charles (Dominic West) the idea of usurping the throne from his mother Queen Elizabeth due to the increase in his popularity, and the Royal Family needing to "change with the times".

The conversation has been steadfastly denied by the real Major, who declared it "a barrel-load of malicious nonsense".

WATCH: The Crown Season Five trailer