Princess Diana's Friend Jemima Khan Explains Why She Left Netflix's 'The Crown'

KEY POINTS

Jemima Khan joined "The Crown" as a consultant because she wanted to make sure Princess Diana's life would be portrayed accurately
Khan said that creator Peter Morgan contacted her to co-write "The Crown" Season 5
She claimed that their co-writing agreement was not honored, so she removed all her contributions from the series

Princess Diana's friend, Jemima Khan, left Netflix's "The Crown" despite the show's success.

Khan, 47, joined the hit historical drama as a consultant for Season 5, according to The Sunday Times. Speaking about her stint on the show, Khan explained why she decided to be part of the project.

"It was really important to me that the final years of my friend’s life be portrayed accurately and with compassion, as has not always happened in the past," the England native explained Sunday.

According to her, in 2019, creator Peter Morgan contacted her to co-write for the fifth series of "The Crown." The episodes that needed her participation were about Princess Diana's last year before the fatal car crash that led to her demise.

"After a great deal of thought, having never spoken publicly about any of this before, I decided to contribute," she added.

Khan worked with Morgan on "the outline and scripts from September 2020 until February 2021." The script they wrote included key moments in the late Princess of Wales' life, including her romance with surgeon Hasnat Khan and Dodi-Al-Fayed, as well as the infamous "Panorama" interview with Martin Bashir. However, they encountered some issues that led Khan to abruptly leave the show.

"When our cowriting agreement was not honored, and when I realized that particular storyline would not necessarily be told as respectfully or compassionately as I had hoped, I requested that all my contributions be removed from the series and I declined a credit," the "American Crime Story" producer told the outlet.

Netflix has since released a statement to address Khan's remarks. The streaming platform acknowledged Khan as a "friend, fan and a vocal public supporter of 'The Crown' since season one." Netflix also recognized her as among the well-informed sources that provided extensive background information for the historical drama TV series. However, it denied the writing agreement.

"She has never been contracted as a writer on the series," Netflix said in a statement to the Times.

Elizabeth Debicki will be portraying Princess Diana for Season 5 and 6. The role was previously played by Emma Corrin. Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Jonathan Pryce, and Lesley Manville also joined the show as Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Prince Philip, and Princess Margaret, respectively.

"The Crown" is expected to return to Netflix in November 2022.